Results from Early Childhood Education and Care Graduates – ‘What are they doing now?’

Gold Coast, Australia— 6^th August, 2024

Kool Kids Training College (KKTC), CRICOS 03515D | RTO Provider No 40636, today released the results of a comprehensive survey of Alumni who have completed the CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications.

Background to Survey

In January 2022, a new training package for Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications came into effect, ushering in a fresh era of excellence in the field. KKTC, as a specialist training college, has been at the forefront of nurturing skilled educators who contribute significantly to children’s development and well-being.

The detailed survey was sent to all completing graduates of the current training package. A mix of domestic and international students completed the survey.

The survey covered areas including

• Roles obtained since graduation with KKTC
• Current role in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector
• Biggest challenge Alumni face in their current role
• Further training and professional development since graduation with KKTC
• Satisfaction with career progression since graduation with KKTC
• Alumni career ambitions in the next 3-5 years
• Insights on how KKTC as an RTO can help Alumni progress their career

Survey Findings

Current Roles in Early Childhood Education

KKTC Alumni hold various roles in early childhood education and care:

1. A majority are working as Educators (51.46%).
2. A significant portion hold the position of Lead Educator (19.42%).
3. 12% of respondents selected ‘other’ which includes roles such as Outside School Hours Care assistant, Room Float and Room Assistant 

Career Progression Since Graduation

Since graduating from KKTC, our Alumni have taken on multiple positions:

1. Many have worked as Educators (64.08%), indicating stability in their career choice.
2. Alumni have also advanced to roles such as Lead Educators (24.27%)
3. A small percentage (12.65%) of respondents indicated they held an array of roles including but not limited to room Assistants, Outside School Hours Care Assistants, Floats and agency/fill-in roles.

Biggest Job Challenges

Alumni face various challenges in their current jobs:

1. Staffing shortages and pay are significant challenges, cited by 34% of respondents.
2. Other notable challenges include ratio issues (10%) and limited job opportunities (4%).
3. 18% of respondents selected Other. Some of the challenges faced by these Alumni were poor management, lack of work-life balance and lack of in-house training and professional development opportunities.

Promotion Status

Career advancement is an important aspect for many Alumni:

1. 33.33% of respondents have been promoted since graduation.
2. The majority (66.67%) have not received a promotion yet, indicating areas for potential growth and development.
3. Understanding the promotion trends helps us gauge career progression and Alumni satisfaction with their career trajectories. It has also indicted to us that we can do more for our students to improve their employability and career trajectories.

Further Education and Certifications

Continual professional development whilst critically important does appear to not be as prevalent as anticipated for many Alumni:

1. Only 24.27% have pursued further education or training since graduation.
2. The remaining 75.73% of respondents have not completed additional certifications or training.
3. This could be reflecting the relatively short time since graduating (students having completed in the past 12-18 months) and it will be interesting to see how this changes in future Alumni surveys.

Career Satisfaction

Overall, Alumni expressed high satisfaction with their career progression:

1. On a scale of 0 (Very Unsatisfied) to 100 (Completely Satisfied) the average satisfaction rating for career progression is 74.66%.
2. This indicates a generally high level of satisfaction among Alumni regarding their career growth and opportunities.
3. Positive feedback on career satisfaction reflects well on their assimilation (notably if new entrants) to the sector

Sam Hendry, CEO and Managing Director of KKTC said “This is our first Alumni survey and we will track the progress of this cohort annually to ‘check in’ on how their careers are progressing (now we have the initial ‘tranche’ of CHC30125 and CHC50125 training package graduates.)

Sam added “Our graduates have demonstrated through this first Alumni survey that their career transition and progression is tracking well. This bodes well for the future of the sector in early childhood education and care. The Alumni are poised to take on leadership roles, shaping the future of the sector and we will see this in the 2025 and 2026 and beyond annual survey results.”

“As an RTO specialising in early childhood education and care, this has been our first foray into analysing the post graduation career progression and satisfaction of our Alumni and we are really pleased with what we found!” Sam said.

“These Alumni contributions will extend beyond the classroom, impacting policy, curriculum development, and community engagement well into the future. Our Alumni who work in a mix of private, large, small and non for profit long day care centres across QLD, NSW, Vic and SA are critical to delivering inclusive, stimulating learning environments that help shape the development of children in the first 5 years of life.“

Nothing is more important and so our commitment to our training methods to shape their practice is mission critical to KKTC,” Sam concluded.

CEO of the Australian Childcare Alliance NSW, Chiang Lim welcomed the survey.

“Career progression and retention of educators in the sector is critically important. The survey does give some good insights and has positive signs,” Chiang said.

“As a sector we must do everything we can to retain and foster career growth for graduates completing their Certificates and Diplomas in Early Childhood Education and Care. We want these educators to have long and fulfilling careers.”

KKTC’s Commitment to Excellence

KKTC (RTO No. 40636) remains steadfast in its mission to provide high-quality training that equips educators with the skills needed to make a positive impact on children’s lives.

KKTC is a leading RTO specialising in CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications.

For media inquiries, please contact: Sam Hendry CEO and Managing Director

Email: sam@kktc.com.au Phone: +61 432 900 463 Learn more about KKTC

Survey Statistics

• 1243 graduates were sent the Alumni survey

• 62.5% of Alumni opened, 7% clicked on the survey
• 104 responses were received – a 9% response rate

Congratulations to all KKTC Alumni—you are shaping the future of early childhood education!