The Top 5 Skills Needed for Career Success in Early Childhood Education & Care

Career OutcomesLearning with usStudent AdviceCareer Advice

4 Aug

Learning which skills are needed for a successful career can be challenging especially if you’re new to the sector. Lucky for you, we have put together some tips and insights into the top skills recognised with resources to get you upskilled and on your way to career success in Early Childhood Education & Care.

Early Childhood Education Numbers are Growing

Population growth has naturally increased the demand for Early Childhood Education & Care.

The number of children in childcare increased by 20 percent in the four years to 2012
By 2031 there will be 2.2 million children under five years of age in Australia
By 2051, there will be 2.6 million. Statistics via Skills IQ.

How to Succeed in Early Childhood Education & Care

Future Skills Needs SkillsIQ’s 2020 Survey in addition to consultation with sector stakeholders, has revealed that the top five short-to-medium term skills considered extremely important across the Children’s Education and Care sector include:

Communication
Teamwork
Capacity to learn
Resilience or stress tolerance
Emotional intelligence

1. Communication

Communication is a skill that supports career growth giving you the ability to be a strong team player and a leader.

Our tips on improving your communication skills:

Try practice active listening
Understand your own communication style and learn others
Learn and understand non-verbal cues and communication

2. Teamwork

In an industry based on education and care it makes sense that working collectively would support success.

Tip to improve teamwork: Learn about your team & co-workers working styles and what success in their roles looks like to give yourself tools to understand how to work better together.

3. Capacity to learn

Having the capacity to learn and being open to learning is important for an industry that is full of changes and catering to the education of future generations.

4. Resilience & Stress Tolerance

Resilience and stress management are growing areas needed across many industries.

“Resilience is our ability to use the resources both around us and within us to respond more flexibly to day-to-day challenges. Being resilient is also an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how we can perform under pressure and show our true potential.” Source Epic Assist Org.

Tips to increase resilience:

Tip 1: Find a sense of purpose

Tip 2: Believe in your abilities

Tip 3: Develop a strong social network

Tip 4: Embrace change

To see the full tips and details from Verywell Mind click here.

Resources supporting stress reduction:

Beyond Blue, Reducing Stress Article

Tips for a Healthy Headspace by Headspace.

5. Emotional Intelligence

The importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has increased and research shows the impact this can have on any persons career & life is huge. EQ is a form of social intelligence, which in general is a key determining factor of job performance, effective leadership and overall wellbeing. When working with children it’s especially important to role model these life skills needed for their development.

Tips on increasing your emotional intelligence skills:

Pay attention to your emotions as they rise & be present with them
Reflect on the emotions of those around you
Try lead with empathy and the notion of trying to ‘understand’ the why behind yourself and others feelings or emotions
Keep working on it and know it’s an ongoing process that takes patience and practise

Learn more about Emotional Intelligence on Bounce Australia.

We also believe having a passion can be a whole game changer toward any fulfilling career.

Other Top Generic Skills Recognised:

Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) (Foundation skills)
Learning agility / Information literacy / Intellectual autonomy and self-management (adaptability)
Communication / Virtual collaboration / Social intelligence
Design mindset / Thinking critically / System thinking / Solving problems
Customer Service / Marketing

See the full breakdown report and details here.

Looking to get qualified in Early Childhood Education & Care?

Knowing the skills needed to succeed in a carer path along with the theoretical and practical knowledge is really setting you up for endless possibilities. When you study at FYI our trainers are dedicated to seeing students succeed and truly are passionate about training.

We currently have two open courses for students looking to get qualifications in Early Childhood Education & Care:

What our Early Childhood Education & Care trainers say?

“You will need an ability to communicate across different personalities and cultures. Emotional intelligence to understand how different people interact with each other including children and adults. You need to have a passion and a genuine intertest in helping and supporting others” – Amanda.

What students are saying about the Early Childhood Education & Care course at FYI Education & Training:

“I have just completed my diploma in childcare. I have to say that I had the best experience with this company. Not only was my trainer Jordana terrific with answering my questions and taking her time to email me back straight away with her responses. I would like to say a big thank you to Jordana for her support and understanding. I would high recommend FYI to everyone, there course outline is amazing and get you ready to becomes a team leader or even a director. Thanks you FYI for my amazing results.” — Louise Z

To enrol, Contact Us.

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