A pilot program in the Northern Territory, Australia, is providing 14 childhood educators from Papua New Guinea opportunities to acquire new skills and enhance their existing qualifications.
The educators have been working at early childhood centres in the regional centres of Alice Springs and Katherine through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme’s early childhood education and care (ECEC) pilot.
The ECEC pilot is part of the Australian Government’s commitment to tackling Australia’s workforce shortages in rural and regional areas. It also ensures workers develop long term skills and expertise that will strengthen their own domestic labour markets back home.
The Papua New Guinean educators are graduating this month from a preparation program, which builds on their existing qualifications in early education to support their transition into an Australian workplace.
PALM scheme worker and educator Ms Shirley Mogi says the pilot provides the opportunity to build on existing experience in and knowledge of the sector.
“Here in Australia, you have something already set for the early childhood level, whereas for Papua New Guinea we have a lot of private schools, so everyone comes with their own philosophy, their own approach to early childhood.”
“We need human resources to go back and educate the young people of PNG and for Australia to be very welcoming to open their doors to accommodate. It’s a really big honour for us,” she said.
The educators will work in childcare centres for up to four years under the long-term stream of the PALM scheme.
There currently are over 2,000 PALM workers from PNG in Australia working in sectors including meat processing, agriculture, and aged care.
Australia is committed to supporting PNG’s economic development objectives by increasing opportunities for PNG through the PALM scheme.
The pilot was supported by PNG Labour Mobility Unit.
To learn more about the pilot visit: https://www.palmscheme.gov.au/early-childhood-education-and-care-pilot
To learn more about the PALM scheme visit: https://www.palmscheme.gov.au/
To learn more about PALM in PNG visit: https://labourmobilitypng.com/
Graduates of the Education Preparatory Program under the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) pilot.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100