The guidelines for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce professional development and practicum subsidies are available.
We’ve published them before we send grant offers in July so eligible providers can see what is involved. If you think you might be eligible, you should read the guidelines now.
The subsidies are 2 of the 3 measures announced in the 2023–24 Budget. The measures are designed to:
- improve employee retention in the ECEC workforce
- build supply and capacity across the sector.
The professional development subsidy will help up to 75,000 qualified early childhood educators to gain additional training.
The paid practicum subsidy will help up to 6,000 early childhood teachers in training with paid placements to complete tertiary qualifications.
A third measure, the practicum exchange, will open in 2024 to help up to 2,000 early childhood teachers in training to complete a professional exchange program to give them broader practical experience before qualification.
Initially, the subsidies will prioritise:
- services and staff in regional, remote and very remote locations
- First Nations services and educators.
Learn about the professional development subsidy, including eligibility criteria.
Learn about the paid practicum subsidy, including eligibility criteria.
Read the guidelines for the ECEC professional development and paid practicum subsidies.