The fast-track to career progression

For the team behind Australian Catholic University’s first completed cohort of accelerated early childhood teachers, it’s the moment they’ve been waiting for.

Ninety-two students have upgraded their qualifications from diploma to degree in just 18-months, fast-tracking them to the helm of Victorian kindergarten classrooms.

“We are so proud to see our first graduates ready to educate current and future generations of children,” ACU National Head of the School of Education Professor Donna King said.

“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by not only our graduates, but also those who have designed and implemented this industry-leading course including Dr Victoria Minson, Professor Marina Papic, Dr Gretchen Geng and their team of professional and academic staff. I couldn’t be prouder of the program’s success.”

Meeting the need to upskill the sector 

The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) (Accelerated), which is being offered in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Training, was created to meet the need for more early childhood teachers to support reforms improving access to early education.

Victorian course coordinator Dr Minson said designing a course to upskill early childcare educators to meet new qualification standards being rolled out by 2029 was a challenging but rewarding task.

“We’ve worked tirelessly as a team and had to think outside the box to create a bespoke course that builds on diploma-qualified students’ prior studies and experience, while elevating their knowledge to that of a 21st century early childhood teacher,” she said.

“Our unique use of VR-enhanced learning experiences for our accelerated students has particularly made ACU a leader in innovative practice for early childhood initial teacher education.

“We’ve been able to virtually immerse students into worlds and experiences, exposing them, for example, to early childhood education over time to compare historical classroom environments with contemporary learning spaces and build connections between theory and practice.” 

Dr Minson said during the 18-month online course, students upskill from their diplomas in early childhood education and care through an intensive work schedule. It includes seven weekend symposiums – offered online and face-to-face at ACU’s Melbourne and Ballarat campuses – providing opportunities for them to learn, interact, and grow their professional networks.

Two of the inaugural graduates - Lillianne Stephenson Gordon and Evie Ta.

“This course has proven to be extremely popular, and we are thankful to the Victorian Government and our early childhood stakeholders for helping to make it such a success,” she said.

“The Productivity Commission recently reported that workforce shortages in early childhood education are a challenge and called for more flexible and accelerated pathways for early childhood educators to upgrade their qualifications. At ACU, we have already heeded that important call.”

Graduates enjoy fast-tracked success 

Inaugural graduates Evie Ta and Lillianne Stephenson Gordon are celebrating their completion of the course they both described as intense, but life changing.

Evie said she had always wanted to be an early childhood teacher, but the traditional time frame of four years of university study to upskill from a diploma to a degree and the costs involved in doing so had been barriers.

Once she heard about how she could complete ACU’s four-year equivalent course in 18 months while still working in the sector and without incurring a HECS debt thanks to the Victorian Government’s full funding for students, she was quick to enrol.

“I feel so lucky to have enrolled in this course and to receive funding from the Victorian Government and support from ACU and (early childhood education provider) Gowrie,” she said. “My dream has come true.”

Evie is now looking to complete further study at ACU. 

“I felt quite confident when I finished this course and I thought, ‘I can do anything’,” she said.

“I can analyse the children’s behaviours and growth better now. Before I didn’t have the confidence to explain things like developmental delays to families, but as a teacher, I can now use evidence and refer them to supports based on the theory, readings, articles, and the knowledge I’ve gained from this course. I’d like to do a master’s degree next.”

Lillianne said the course had given her more confidence and skills as an early childhood educator.

“Doing this course in 18 months was intense, but I have improved my knowledge about child development and learning, which makes me feel better equipped as an educator. Everything feels more meaningful,” she said.

“For those who have been working in early childcare for many years, it will really benefit them. I recommend this high-quality course to others all the time and I recommend ACU specifically because they provided such strong support along the way.”

Ready to advance your career? Discover the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) (Accelerated).