Bundaberg residents looking to advance their career in childcare will soon have the opportunity to study locally at CQUniversity.
From June 2019, for the first time ever, CQUniversity will offer a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care on the Bundaberg campus, in addition to the existing Mixed Mode study option.
Newly appointed CQUniversity Early Childhood Teacher Jasmine Jeffrey said the Bundaberg childcare training courses aimed to equip students with the essential skills required for a role in a range of early childhood education settings.
“The certificate course teaches students how to use individual children’s profiles to plan activities, and provide care and education to children, as well as the skills needed to facilitate leisure and play,” she said.
“The diploma course will equip students with the ability to plan, implement and manage early childhood programs in accordance with the National Quality Framework, regulations and duty of care requirements.”
Ms Jeffrey said that by providing an on-campus study option, Bundaberg-based students would be exposed to a more interactive learning experience.
“Students will develop relationships and build community with their study counterparts and academics; learn to keep a consistent study schedule, and have their questions answered in real-time,” she said.
“Diploma students will attend an on-campus class every Tuesday from 9am to 3pm, whereas, certificate students will attend every Thursday. Both courses also include one day a week of vocational placement.”
Ms Jeffrey said upon completing the diploma course, graduates would be eligible to gain a higher-level degree qualification.
“The diploma units are embedded in CQUniversity's Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) course, therefore, graduates will be credited approximately one year of their bachelor study. This course is recommended for those looking to advance their skill set to become an industry coordinator or educator,” she said.
As a former Early Childhood Educator, Director and Kindergarten Teacher, Ms Jeffrey said she looked forward to sharing her 20-plus years of industry knowledge with her students.
“I have a passion for Early Childhood, in particular fostering play-based learning that gives children the best possible learning outcomes and sets them up for future learning experiences,” she said.
“The industry has experienced some major changes over the past 10 years and is now considered an integral part of the education system.
“Therefore, it's important that the industry is made up of passionate, caring and experienced educators.
“I am very excited to help deliver the Early Childhood TAFE courses on the CQUniversity Bundaberg campus as it gives me the opportunity to share my knowledge and skills with the industry's future educators.”
For further information about Bundaberg childcare training courses, phone 13 27 86. Or, register your interest via www.cqu.edu.au.
- The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care course is subsidised for eligible students under the Queensland Government’s Certificate 3 Guarantee initiative. Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care course is also subsidised for eligible students under the Higher-Level Skills (HLS) initiative.
