SA government introduces new fee-free TAFE course in outside school hours care

A new TAFE course in outside school hours care is being introduced that should lead to carers getting paid more – however it won’t be compulsory.

A new TAFE course in outside school hours care (OSHC) is being introduced that should lead to carers getting paid more – however it won’t be compulsory.

The new course, Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care, is set to be offered from Semester 1 this year and will be delivered part-time over 18 months.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said the move will help “every South Australian family to have access to high quality out of school care”.

“Out of school care is vitally important for working families,” Mr Boyer said.

And the initiative hopes to attract more workers to OSHC, who can study while they work.

Education Minister Blair Boyer, TAFE SA chief executive David Coltman and OSHC SA director Alicia Flowers announce the new Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care. Picture: Shashi Baltutis

Currently, individual OSHC workers do not need a specific qualification and upon completion of the TAFE course, staff are expected to receive a pay rise.

In any centre offering OSHC, one in two staff members must have a qualification, which can be in a range of areas including early childhood education.

The new course will not be compulsory in order to be employed in the sector.

But Flinders University senior lecturer in early childhood education Rachael Hedger said it’s “important” for OSHC workers to be qualified.

“To be qualified in some way, to be able to deliver a quality teaching and learning experience for children is important,” Ms Hedger said.

“Just so that they’ve got that foundational understanding of what’s required for working with school-age children.”

However, Ms Hedger said experienced workers are still “valuable”.

“We have a lot of experienced educators in the field who aren’t necessarily qualified … but they’re still very valuable,” she said.

Mr Boyer said it is important to attract more workers to OSHC services.

“We know that staff who work both in OSHC and also childcare and early childhood education are not paid particularly well,” Mr Boyer said.

“Often the staffing services … have been employed by primary schools or sometimes high schools and they actually lose that workforce.”

The course will be part of the fee free TAFE initiative which, since its introduction, has seen a 65 per cent increase in enrolments.

It will be delivered at the TAFE Noarlunga and Regency Park campuses with a combination of face-to-face and online workshops.

TAFE SA chief executive David Coltman said lecturers in the course would have “industry knowledge and expertise in early childhood education”.

“This knowledge and their experience will ensure outstanding delivery of this training program,” Mr Coltman said.

OSHC SA director Alicia Flowers said the organisation had been “advocating for the introduction” of the qualification.

“It’s a very casualised workforce so there are a lot of challenges around filling those positions,” Ms Flowers said.

The move comes after the Gillard Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care, which recognised challenges in retaining and attracting staff.