The Australian Industry Group has been awarded an Australian Government grant to assist eligible Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) providers access funding under the ECEC Worker Retention Payment Program.
The Australian Government will fund a wage increase for early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce through a worker retention payment.
The payment will run for two years and will support a wage increase of 15% for the ECEC workforce.
Providers can apply for the payment through the Australian Government Department of Education website: Home Page – Department of Education.
Providers can apply at any time before 30 September 2026. See the Department’s guide on how to apply for the worker retention payment: How to apply for the worker retention payment – Department of Education, Australian Government
Providers must also meet the eligibility criteria and comply with the conditions to receive the grant payment.
One such requirement is that providers must engage workers through a workplace instrument that meets the grant conditions. A workplace instrument is a legally enforceable document that sets out the terms and conditions of employment.
Examples of workplace instruments include:
For more information about the types of workplace instruments providers may use, see: Workplace instruments, awards and supported bargaining – Department of Education, Australian Government.
For a summary of the grant guidelines, access the summary provided by the Department of Education: Early childhood wages – Department of Education, Australian Government.
Providers wishing to apply for the grant should also read the full Early Childhood Education and Care Worker Retention Payment Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
Ai Group has received funding from the Australian Government to provide free support to providers to engage with, apply for and meet the conditions of the worker retention payment.
Register for our briefing sessions. The briefing sessions will address topics related to:
Register for free briefing sessions
Through Ai Group’s knowledge of the ECEC sector and understanding of the worker retention payment, we can:
Answer any questions you have about the Program, including about making a workplace instrument
Help you make workplace instrument(s) that comply with the Guidelines, including:
Support you with completing the application process
Help you to implement the worker retention payment under your workplace instrument(s) (including payroll support)
Support you to apply to the Department for special consideration:
Support you to complete Program monitoring and/or auditing requirements
Rectify a breach of a Program requirement, including:
Provide support where your circumstances change, including:
Our expert team can help you access funding under the ECEC Worker Retention Payment Program.
Contact us today to start the process.
Ai Group Members have access to expert advice and analysis to ensure you know how workplace changes will impact your business. We are your powerful business ally.
Our expert team can help you access funding under the ECEC Worker Retention Payment Program.
Contact us today to start the process.
