With a focus on creating a sustainable workforce, BHP and not-for-profit Child Australia have partnered on an exciting new project to develop education opportunities and new career pathways into early childhood care to provide greater access to childcare support for families in the Pilbara.
The ‘Thriving Futures’ project will offer scholarships to assist eligible candidates in the Pilbara to obtain the skills and partnerships needed to begin their careers in early childhood, and encourage the Indigenous community, school leavers, parents re-entering the workforce and mature age workers to get involved to reinvigorate their careers. By increasing the number of qualified educators in the region, more child care places will be available for families in need.
BHP’s WA Manager Communities, Chris Cottier, said “The benefits of developing a regular, familiar and consistent early childhood workforce in the Pilbara will provide continuity to both the children and their families, inspiring long-term use of facilities and services. Early childhood education equips children with the skills and capacity to be effective and engaged learners through to school and beyond, so this project will deliver add-on benefits in the Pilbara region for years to come.”
For Child Australia’s CEO Ms Tina Holtom, a career supporting children in their early years is incredibly rewarding on many levels. “There are very few professions where your impact can help to shape and nurture the future of generations of children” she said. “COVID-19 has clearly demonstrated the importance of this ‘essential’ workforce and the critical role this sector continues to play in economic recovery. There has never been a greater time to be an early childhood educator”.
For more information about the ‘Thriving Futures’ project, visit their website at www.thrivingfutures.org.au
At the Hedland Collective, we couldn’t be more pleased to hear about the partnership. As a group of community members, organisations and businesses, the Hedland Collective is all about working together in a coordinated approach to support Hedland, making it an even better place to live.
Ensuring the adequate provision of early years education and care in the town has been a key priority for us too. The delivery of this partnership is a key outcome from the Collective’s 10-year Hedland Early Years Education and Care Strategy which provides clear direction and key actions to increase access to early years education and care in the community. We are pleased to see outcomes from this strategy being delivered!
