A GROUP of towns that enjoy year-round sunshine are offering workers £80,000 a year to move there – plus free food and accommodation.
The promotion is intended to attract “fly-in, fly-out” (FIFO) workers to the area, where a key sector faces significant staff shortages.
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The offer is open to those working in childcare to move to one of a cluster of remote settlements in Western Australia.
The Pilbara, Gascoyne, Kimberley and Goldfields towns are home to a large mining community, working long hours to extract vital metals such as iron ore and lithium from the rocky landscape.
Many of the workers have young families, which creates a huge demand in the area for child care.
FIFO caregivers work two weeks on and two weeks off and, as the acronym suggests, may fly in from the surrounding area to complete their residency.
Accommodation and food will be provided during work in addition to payment.
Ongoing workforce crisis
Australian Child Care Alliance
Depending on your qualification level, the salary can be up to £80,000 (AU$150,000).
Karri Hillier, chief executive of One Trea Community Services (which provides childcare in WA) said 7News: “Remuneration is based on casual remuneration, with daily assistance outside the home.
“It is also very rewarding, providing the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children and families, whilst benefiting communities and businesses.
“FIFO also offers the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’.
“Some of our FIFO employees chose to move and live locally when they found a center they love.”
The supply is the result of what the Australian Childcare Alliance called an “ongoing workforce crisis” in the sector, with vast “childcare deserts” across the country.
ACA President Paul Mondo explained: “Our members have reported for years that staff recruitment and retention is one of the industry’s biggest problems.
“There is a critical need for more government support to help attract and retain early learning educators.
“‘In rural and remote communities, some child care centers are operating at 60% capacity due to staffing shortages.’
It comes after a similar offer was made for jobs in rural Australia, with no qualifying experience required to claim £80,000.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
