CHC Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care: Entry Requirements Review

Endorsement and Implementation

The Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care Entry Requirements project aimed to broaden the qualification’s entry requirements.

Entry to the CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care required a CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Following wide consultation, the diploma’s entry requirements have been amended so earlier Certificate III qualifications in early childhood education and care or children’s services are recognised.

Final training products were endorsed by the Skills Ministers on 26 August 2025 and the CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care was published on the National Training Register on 5 September 2025.

Before being submitted for endorsement, the training product underwent a comprehensive public and government consultation process followed by consideration and support by the Senior Responsible Officers, Training Package Assurance Body and Skills Ministers.

A Consultation Log was submitted alongside the draft training products, which includes evidence of industry support for the changes made. This log is available under the Consultation tab. The CHC Companion Volume Implementation Guide has also been updated to assist industry and registered training providers in implementing the CHC Training Package.

Professional development workshops will support the implementation of these new training products so please ensure you are registered for project updates to be notified or workshop times and locations.

Finalisation and Submission

The draft training products have been submitted to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Assurance Body for assessment and an endorsement recommendation to the Skills Ministers.

We appreciate the enthusiastic and positive engagement from the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector during the national consultation workshops. We specifically sought input on improving accessibility to the qualification, addressing barriers to entry, and discussing tools to support pathways into the diploma including an entry skills set, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) funded recognition of prior learning kit, and the companion volume.

Consultation

Thank you to everyone who attended an in-person or online consultation workshop for our Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care project. The public consultation period occurred between Monday 23 September and Friday 18 October 2024. Over 300 participants attended workshops and provided invaluable suggestions.

A summary of proposed changes to the diploma is available and all the feedback and comments we received have been documented in the Consultation Log.  

Development

Project development is underway and draft materials will be made available in the Consultation stage. The development of these materials will be based on initial research and targeted interviews focused on a new recognition pathway for entry to the Diploma.

The new pathway seeks to recognise the 2 versions of the Certificate III in Early Childhood and Care that preceded current entry requirements.

A skill set will be drafted to address any critical skill gaps identified between the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and earlier versions of the qualification.

A pre-entry assessment kit will also be drafted to support the new recognition pathway.

Set Up

The primary barrier to the uptake of the CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care has been identified as the restrictive entry requirements that were introduced in July 2021.

Enrolments in the Diploma and the number of students who actually complete the course have been declining for several years. This means there are not enough graduates to fill current workforce shortages or meet future demand for qualified early childhood education and care workers.

The national shortage of suitably skilled workers directly impacts on the number of available places for children, quality of service and the ability of providers to meet regulatory requirements.

In consultation with key stakeholders, this project seeks to amend the Diploma entry requirements to recognise previous versions of the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and/or similar qualifications combined with workforce experience.

The project will also develop tools to support two recognition pathways into the Diploma.

A project Technical Committee has been established to provide expert advice for this project. Committee members were selected for their relevant expertise in relation to the project.