The Northern Territory has welcomed some of its newest residents with 14 Charles Darwin University (CDU) TAFE Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) students arriving in Darwin from Papua New Guinea as part of the Australian Government's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme pilot.
The Australian-accredited students are the first group of workers who will be employed across two regional centres in the Northern Territory where local educators have been hard to find, Alice Springs and Katherine, following their completion of a two-week intensive training program at CDU TAFE.
CDU Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive TAFE Michael Hamilton said CDU TAFE was excited to welcome the new ECEC educators to its Casuarina campus.
"CDU TAFE will help students get ready for their new roles while supporting workforce demands across the Northern Territory," Mr Hamilton said.
"Early childhood educators are an important part of the backbone of our communities, and they are in high demand - by preparing these PALM students we are providing relief to centres and families.
"CDU has a strong tradition of collaborating with our international neighbours, and we look forward to strengthening these relationships while supporting families in Australia and beyond."
Special Envoy for Northern Australia and Federal Member for Solomon (Darwin and Palmerston) Luke Gosling said the partnership between CDU TAFE and the Commonwealth Government was a "win-win."
"This initiative supports early childhood centres in the Northern Territory facing workforce shortages while providing meaningful employment and training opportunities for our Pacific neighbours.
"It's great to see CDU's leadership in providing high-quality training to these new educators, equipping them with the skills and experience they need to make a real difference in the Territory and ultimately back at home."
The Y Northern Territory CEO Emma Bunting said she was thrilled to welcome the Y's newest team members.
"The Y recognises the ECEC sector as a foundational level of Australia's education system, and partners with families to provide a solid basis of early learning and development," Ms Bunting said.
"Our hope is that our new educators connect with this vision and understand how important they will be in creating a lasting impact on the lives of young people, children and their families."
An early childhood educator with more than 10-years' experience in the sector, PNG PALM scheme participant Ilai Narowen said the opportunity to teach and learn in Australia would be an invaluable experience.
"I studied and worked in early childhood education before I got married and have since started a family and had four children of my own - I apply all the skills I learned before as well as all the ones my children teach me," Mr Narowen said.
"It's important we teach children to explore, to guide them and to help them learn about the world around them.
"I'm looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion for little ones with the local community and to get to know the people in the Northern Territory."
