In an educational environment, that is changing quickly, there are many professionals who are significantly changing lives for the positive education support workers. Working in many settings, education support workers work in many behind-the-scenes environments, and these professionals ultimately play a key role in facilitating student outcomes, providing emotional, academic, and practical assistance to allow learners to progress and succeed. These professionals support their students from classrooms, TAFE, and training rooms, and they are making an impact on students' lives. This blog post will discuss how education support workers are changing lives, but also how organisations such as SkilTrak enhance their work with a focus on intentional and meaningful placement of students.
Who are Education Support Workers?
Education support workers, sometimes known as teacher aides, learning support officers, or education assistants, support the educator to provide effective learning opportunities. Education support workers work with students of all age groups and abilities; however, a higher percentage of the students are those who need extra support due to learning difficulties, disabilities, social and emotional behaviours, and language barriers.
Education support worker roles can undertake numerous duties, including:
- Provide support for students with special needs
- Supervision to help manage student behaviour in the classroom
- Assist with literacy and numeracy-based lesson tasks
- Provide individual or group tasks and instructions
- Collaboration with the educator and with external specialists
- Participation in the development of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) etc.
The Growing Importance of Their Role
In classrooms today, there are more students with varying backgrounds and growing awareness of mental health struggles than ever, and education support workers play an important role in helping students and teachers maintain the demands of the classroom. Education support workers provide huge benefits on many fronts, not only relieving some stress and demands placed on classroom teachers, but also working to provide all students with equitable access to learning. Education support workers promote inclusive and equitable learning and support students who may fall through the cracks.
In vocational and adult education settings, education support workers frequently assist students returning to education after a break, providing academic assistance and other personal mentorship opportunities. Their presence, involvement, and support provide not one, but two major benefits to schools. Education support workers are paid less than teachers, so the average salary saved per educator means education and support workers can relieve the cost to the school. Education support workers' research on degree completion in vocational and adult education where close to 70% of the education support workers involved provided positive effects on retention, overall student wellness, and student outcomes.
Changing Lives: Real-World Impact
The value that education support workers provide to students comes from the ability to relate to them personally. Whether that means keeping a child with autism calm during a lesson, supporting a refugee student with logic, interpretation of a new language, or stopping another young adult from falling victim to their socio-economic disadvantage by staying engaged and involved in a training program can rarely put this meaningful support into words when the outcome is often life-changing.
Below are several examples of their contributions in real-life situations:
- • Academic success: Learners with learning difficulties often need alternative teaching methods. Support workers and education support workers create educational pathways that meet the needs of the learner, resulting in meaningful academic achievements.
- • Confidence: Students have someone who is always in their corner, so they build confidence and willingness to engage in class activities.
- • Emotional engagement: For students with trauma, anxiety or other forms of educational disruption, education support workers can be a safe, warm, and caring person to create emotional stability and safety.
The SkilTrak Advantage: Placement for Future Support Worker
Understanding the importance of the support worker position, SkilTrak has developed placement programs to prepare potential education support professionals for the real-life obstacles they will encounter. SkilTrak focuses on work-based training (WBT) placement and provides agency and access for students undertaking vocational qualifications in education support to establish placements around schools, training facilities, and adult learning education centers in Australia.
How does SkilTrak support education workers?
Industry Connections: SkilTrak has established relationships with educational institutions to ensure placements happen easily.
Industry experience: Placement allows the student to gain experience in the field, make contacts, observe skilled practitioners, and grow their confidence in their skills.
Mentorship and Feedback: Each placement is accompanied by structured feedback mechanisms that allow students to improve and refine their approach.
Pathway to Employment: Many SkilTrak placements lead directly to job offers, giving students a head start in their careers.
Focus on Soft Skills: SkilTrak emphasizes the development of communication, empathy, adaptability, and teamwork, key qualities for success in education support roles.
The Ripple Effect in Communities
The benefits of quality education support workers extend beyond the classroom. They enhance school and child health, enhance teacher morale, and foster community participation. Parents feel assured that their children are receiving tailored support. Education support workers easily become trusted allies for families. In addition to uplifting students, education support workers privilege and empower communities. Better-educated individuals have more opportunities, increased economic independence, and strengthened social support.
Education and Qualifications
To work as an education support worker in Australia, most education support workers will complete a Certificate III or Certificate IV in Education Support, which will cover topics such as child development, safe working practices, behaviour management, and working with students from a variety of backgrounds.
SkilTrak partners with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to provide students not just with theoretical learning but with the opportunity to do a meaningful placement. The combination of study and practical learning allows education support workers to learn all facets of their role and be prepared for work.
Future Directions
The demand for education support workers is expected to increase in the months and years ahead. The focus of the government and communities primarily on inclusive education has made it more important than ever to have trained professionals who can work with and support a diverse student body.
Organisations like SkilTrak have led the way by matching education with employment, investing in the future of education support workers, and doing their part to accomplish a more inclusive and supportive educational environment by providing placements for newcomers as well as mentoring them to do the important work needed in the sector.
Final Thoughts
Education support workers are quiet advocates for the education system that is often not recognised publicly for the value they add to it. They assist students who are struggling to improve their ability, they champion sobering students to provide them with their confidence, to assist them to foster their self-belief, and ultimately, to help unlock full potential for a successful future.
The next generation of support workers is getting the tools, experience, and compassion to proceed with their work through the placement programs offered by SkilTrak, and collectively they are not only supporting and changing lives, they are making a better and brighter future for all-inclusive of everyone.
