If you’re considering a career in early childhood education, you’ve picked a great time. The latest Child Care Services Industry Report revealed the child care industry in Australia is on the up and up, with an expected growth rate of 6.1% over the next four years.

This is great news, because growth brings with it more employment opportunities. In fact employment is expected to grow at 15.2%, meaning by 2020 there will be 191,000 child care educator jobs available!

So those are the numbers but if you’re wondering how and why, there are a few main reasons for the boom:

• The 2015 Federal Budget stated that the government would invest an additional $3.5billion over the next five years into child care assistance for families. This means more children are in daycare, which is driving the industry forward.
• Smart Company included child care services in its ‘List of industries set to fly in 2017’ and cites women going back to work after having children, as a main reason for growth as incentives by the government to encourage women back into work after maternity leave have been successful.
• This article suggests that the demise of the traditional 9-5 work day could be another major factor. Flexible working hours, mean parents need flexible childcare solutions and the industry is reacting to those needs, by providing alternative care options.

But if you’re still not sure if a job within this industry is right for you, we’ve put together a few considerations, which may help sway your decision:

• Reason 1: Care can be provided in a variety of ways, from long day care, to vacation care and before and after school care. This makes it a great industry if you’re looking for working hours which can fit around your lifestyle and other commitments.
• Reason 2: Childcare educators have the opportunity to devise new and interesting ways to help children learn, with imagination and creativity being actively encouraged. This provides the opportunity to have a positive impact on a child’s life and endless job satisfaction.
• Reason 3: Best of all, with the Australian population set to rise to 24 million by 2020, you can bet that the demand for child care services is going to be high; making this a job that is secure for the future.

If this sounds like too good an opportunity to miss, you can check out our Early Childhood Education courses here. And be sure to like us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the news from ET Australia.

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