Modulación de fase cruzada

The recruitment process into the child care profession is relatively straightforward, assuming an adequate recruitment pool. There is a well defined process with larger employers recruiting (where graduates are available) directly from training institutions and through advertisements in local and daily newspapers. Extreme difficulties in recruitment were reported in relation to attracting trained staff to rural and remote areas and difficulty in attracting Indigenous students to courses.

CSAs from eleven Areas reported difficulty attracting staff (Appendix F). Vacancies remained for extended periods. In one service this was the case for seven months at the time of reporting. This occurred despite extensive advertising, including in the Sydney Morning Herald and, in one rural service, advertising in four States and Territories. The cost to the centres of placing numerous advertisements represented an added financial burden. The centre that advertised interstate ran advertisements for the same vacant position since 1990. A number of centres, particularly in rural localities, posited that offering above-award wages might reduce this dilemma, but at this time, raising wages was not possible.

Family responsibilities had an impact on the difficulty of recruiting trained staff in rural and remote areas. If a move to a rural area included a partner and children this could create tension, particularly if the partner wanted to work and was unable to find suitable employment.

One stakeholder identified that they had been successful in recruiting qualified staff by promoting their service as one that employed more trained staff that required by licensing providing greater peer support and guidance for new graduates. This was combined with above award pay and conditions. This centre very rarely had experienced difficulty in recruiting trained staff.

Child care was a priority recruitment category for immigration following the mid 1990s shortage. It has since been removed as a priority but NSW could advocate for it to be reinstated.

It appears that neither the Government nor children’s services employers currently apply a strategy to attract mature qualified people back into the profession. This strategy has been successfully adopted in industries such as nursing (stable preferred shifts eg Mayne) and finance (family friendly conditions).

The cost and placement of advertisements for child care services is a common issue for some locations. Some areas seem to require ongoing advertising in national and regional media that can have an impact on child care service budgets. This was exacerbated for services located in rural and remote areas. One stakeholder suggested regional services could recruit through a co-operative model. The example was given of three small preschools located in southern NSW, who required a trained staff member for one or two days a week. The services could consider a combined approach to recruitment, pooling ‘resources to promote the benefits of their locations, sharing advertising, sharing positions so that a full-time job could be advertised, investigating could support or service supplied housing’ (stakeholder interview – Contact Inc).

Some services used the offer of above award conditions to attract suitable trained staff to their services. The difficulty in providing above award conditions is the financial burden that services had to bear. If services were located in areas where parents could not afford higher fees, the above award conditions were not an option. While most survey respondents commented on the poor wages, many stated that it was the lack of workplace flexibility that caused the greatest concern in relation to recruitment, this was particularly marked for staff with families of their own.

Recruitment recommendations

12. That the Office of Childcare communicates the findings to peak bodies and employers about developing graduate recruitment strategies such as:

• university-based recruitment 6 months before graduation (similar to the Department of Education Targeted Graduate Scheme);

• pooling recruitment resources and strategies;

• positive practicum experiences (Recommendation 9);

• financial support for indigenous and rural placements (Recommendation 10); and • supporting recruitment of mature workers back into the profession through

scholarships to retrain and work conditions such as stable fixed shifts and family policies (Recommendations 1-5, 10).

A recruitment scheme that benefits employers that vary in size, location and graduate characteristics is required to meet the diverse needs of the profession. A combination of direct and indirect strategies is therefore needed. The Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and TAFE and related employees) Salaries and Conditions Award provides a ‘Socio Economic Goods and Services Allowance’, dependent partner and child allowances, vehicle allowance and vacation travel allowance to compensate for geographic isolation. These allowances vary depending on location throughout NSW. They vary in value from $248 to $2482 per annum, and for the vacation allowance from one to three vacation journeys per annum. Offering a similar scheme or tax rebates to attract trained staff to rural and remote regions may assist in the recruitment process.

13. That the Office of Childcare communicates the findings to the Commonwealth about:

• the restoration of early childhood education to the priority migrant career list and provides advice to the Commonwealth about acceptable documentation required to meet NSW qualification standards; and

• the inclusion of early childhood educated staff in the tax concession categories for rural and remote areas (Tax Zone A and Special Tax Zone A and B) or the provision of specific area allowances in all appropriate industrial awards.

Refer also to:

• Recommendation 7. Communication with the profession