A survey of organisations delivering training for future child carers found some were delivering courses in as little as one-to-six weeks while the recommended duration was one-to-two years.
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The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care includes key training units including health and safety and first aid such as coping with asthma and anaphylactic attacks.
The study was carried out by the Australian Skills Quality Authority, which says excessively short course delivery leads to poor quality outcomes, questioning whether sufficient time was being devoted to training and assessment.
The authority's chief commissioner Chris Robinson said: "The extent of problems experienced [by training organisations] in doing assessment properly is hardly surprising given that some 20 per cent of organisations offer the Certificate III in 25 weeks or less, which is only half the minimum length of time recommended … for such programs."
Disparity in teaching duration varied from 5 per cent of trainers delivering the course in one-to-five weeks while 12 per cent delivered it in 104 weeks or more.
A spokesman for the authority said that they were not able to name the training organisations delivering the course in the shortest time.
State Training Services said the department acknowledged the Australian Skills Quality Authority's concerns about short duration training.
"The department will closely monitor all providers receiving NSW government funding to deliver early childhood education and training courses to ensure appropriate learning strategies are delivered," it said in a statement.
Pressure on the need for quality child carers is likely to increase with the Department of Employment predicting that employment in childcare services is projected to grow by 21,600, or 22 per cent, between 2013 and 2018.