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The broad objective of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Flexible Initiatives Trial (the program) is to increase families' economic, educational, and societal participation through improved access to ECEC services, by supporting services to trial new or adapted flexible operating models. The program also aims to ensure that the ECEC workforce is supported to deliver flexible models of ECEC.

The objectives of the ECEC Flexible Initiatives Trial are centred on enhancing the accessibility and adaptability of early childhood education and care services for families across New South Wales. The program seeks to address the challenges families face in accessing ECEC by promoting increased flexibility in how services are provided.

‘Flexibility’ in this program refers to any modification to core ECEC business operations that promotes accessibility for families. This could involve extending service operating hours, offering flexible attendance patterns, implementing casual care day booking systems, providing wraparound care, or other initiatives that increase the availability of early childhood education and care

The key objectives of the program are to:

• increase accessibility of ECEC for families who need more flexible options, including an increase in the number of available places
• increase participation, particularly of women, in work and/or study, which is enabled by increased access to ECEC services
• increase service providers’ knowledge of local flexibility needs and their capacity to meet those needs
• provide appropriate support and working conditions for educators delivering flexible models
• develop an evidence base for successful flexible models to inform future program development.

Apprenticeships are a proven pathway to well-paid jobs in a diverse range of careers. In NSW, apprenticeships are also fee free – meaning no more upfront training costs for students or employers.

There’s never been a better time to start an apprenticeship in NSW. The NSW Government is paying the course cost for 100,000 new apprenticeships – meaning apprentices undertaking a government funded apprenticeship no longer face a student fee of up to $2000.

Apprenticeships are a great career pathway. They combine on-the-job training with classroom study to give you the skills and experience employers are looking for. Apprenticeships generally take around 3-4 years to complete, and apprentices earn a salary while they learn.

There are more than 120 different apprenticeship courses available in NSW, in a range of industries including construction, cooking, aviation and automotive. Search all NSW apprenticeships funded under Smart and Skilled.

Traineeships are a proven pathway to well-paid jobs in a diverse range of careers. In NSW, traineeships are also fee free.

There are more than 390 traineeship courses funded in NSW, in a range of industries including early childhood, health and allied services, business, IT, hospitality and warehouse operations.

Fee free traineeships are available to NSW trainees – including school-based trainees whose training:

• is funded under the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled Program
• commenced on or after 1 January 2020.

If you have previously commenced your Smart and Skilled traineeship training before 1 January 2020 and are returning to a traineeship after 1 January 2020, you will be eligible for fee free for the remainder of your training if your traineeship course or your employer has changed.

Each student is limited to a maximum of commencing three fee free traineeships under this initiative.

The Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grant (EDAEG) adopts a number of strategies to develop and support Aboriginal people through the creation of training and employment opportunities. Promoting diversity, innovation and service responsiveness in the NSW workforce, the Elsa Dixon Aboriginal Employment Grant subsidises the salary, development and support costs of Aboriginal employees in public service agencies and local government authorities.

Grant Elements

• Permanent Ongoing Employment – $20,000 up to $40,000 to support the creation of permanent employment.
• Temporary (Term Employment) Secondment – $20,000 up to $40,000 (dependant on the term of position) to support a temporary position of up to 12 months that offers significant skill development for a permanent employee.
• School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships – $10,000 one off payment to support school-based apprenticeships and traineeships.
• Post School Element - $10,000 up to $20,000 (Part - Time or Full- Time Employment Status) to support the continuation of employment for a learner who successfully completed a High School Certificate (HSC, Year 12) in the previous calendar year.

The Specific project grant provides funding to community language schools to help with professional development, such as producing new teaching materials or for teacher training activities.

Your project must either produce materials that can be used in your community language school, or offer training to your teachers. It must benefit the wider language community or be easily adapted or applied across different language groups.

They welcome proposals that consider making the resources available online. In this case, your project team must include someone with web knowledge and experience.

You may receive a specific project grant if your community language school is already receiving, or has currently applied for, the Per capita grant through the NSW Community Languages Schools Program.

This one-off establishment grant helps organisations that are setting up language classes for the first time by helping them in their first year.

You may receive an establishment grant if your community language school:

• is located more than two kilometres away from any other community language school which teaches the same language
• has been operating for at least two months using a teaching program
• normally has a minimum of 20 school-aged students enrolled. (Schools outside a metropolitan area with less than 20 students may be eligible for funding in some circumstances.)
• is open to school students from Kindergarten to Year 12, regardless of their language background
• holds classes outside school hours for at least 35 weeks of the year
• provides a minimum of two hours per week face-to-face language teaching based on a sound educational program.

If your community is small or isolated and cannot meet teacher or syllabus requirements immediately, you may be granted an exemption for up to 12 months. During this time your school can work with a program education officer to try to meet these requirements.

The grant can be used for:

• teaching materials
• stationery, photocopying
• payments to teachers
• buying educational equipment
• expenses associated with the administration of the schools.

These grants help cover community language school operating costs such as teaching materials, staff wages and new equipment.

The amount of the grant is based on the number of students who have enrolled in your community language school. You can apply for this grant after 12 months of operating your school. You can also apply for a Specific project grant at the same time.

You may receive a per capita grant if your community language school:

• has been operating for more than 12 months
• is managed by an organisation which is a not-for-profit legal entity
• is located more than two kilometres away from any other community language school that teaches the same language
• normally has a minimum of 20 school-aged students enrolled. (Schools outside a metropolitan area with less than 20 students may be eligible for funding in some circumstances.)
• is open to school students from Kindergarten to Year 12, regardless of their language background
• has students who attend at least 70 per cent of lessons in Term 1
• holds classes outside school hours for at least 35 weeks of the year
• provides a minimum of two hours per week face-to-face language teaching based on a sound educational program.

You can use the grant for:

• teaching materials
• stationery, photocopying
• technology
• payments to teachers
• buying educational equipment
• expenses associated with the administration of the schools

You cannot use the grant for capital purposes such as buildings, repairs, maintenance or renovations.

The Start Strong for Community Preschools program provides funding to deliver affordable quality preschool education for 3 to 5 year old children enroled in eligible community and mobile preschools in NSW.

From 2023, fee relief for families announced as “Affordable Preschool” in the context of the NSW Government's Early Years Commitment will be integrated into Start Strong and provide community and mobile preschools with sustainable long-term funding to deliver at least 600 hours of low, or no cost preschool to eligible children.

Start Strong for Community Preschools funding is provided for children in the two years before school and supports enrolment of at least 600 hours per year or 15 hours per week. Evidence shows that this level of participation in a quality early childhood education program in the two years before school is associated with better outcomes for children.

Start Strong, including the now integrated Affordable Preschool initiative, promotes universal access and priority of access by providing:

• higher program funding rates for preschools which operate within the lower range of Socio-Economic Index for Areas (SEIFA) score of relative socio-economic disadvantage
• additional funding for children aged 3 years and above from low income families, children with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background, and children with disability or additional needs
• loadings for preschools that operate in outer regional, remote and very remote areas
• further loadings and subsidies as outlined in Section 3.2
• up to $4,220 per year in fee relief for 3 to 5 year old children in community and mobile preschools.

The Program Payment and Fee Relief Payment are both calculated based on the data entered in the Annual Preschool Census, including the number and hours of enrolment, and the number and characteristics of children enroled.