If you're thinking about applying for a job at this Central West business, don't bring a resume.
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To help attract new staff amidst an ongoing worker shortage, the Dubbo Early Learning Centre has decided to make a drastic change in the hiring process.
Rather than the traditional process of filling in an application and writing a resume, owner Matthew Stapleton is encouraging people to just come in and have a conversation.
"You get more out of just having a conversation and seeing where they're at and seeing where their skills are, where they are, what they are doing," he explained.
"Working in childcare, you have to build relationships with the children, their families and the other educators. A resume is not going to completely display the ability to build relationships.
"But having those conversations with potential workers is."
While all industries are struggling to recruit new staff, the childcare sector has been hit especially hard.
And the lack of staff is leading centres to close their books to maintain staff to child ratios. A 2023 survey of 477 child care centres by the Australian Childcare Alliance showed half had been forced to cap enrolment numbers.
"We were finding it hard, particularly in rural areas, to get staff, and COVID-19 has just made it worse. And it's going to get harder - staff are worn out and leaving the sector," Gabrielle Connell, from the Independent Education Union of Australia, told ACM.
"One of the issues is there's no casuals to replace teachers who get sick so that puts pressure on other educators at the service because they're running low on numbers.
"It's not something that teachers and directors want to do - to have to call parents and say not to bring the kids in. It puts stress on people."
Mr Stapleton agreed the pandemic had made finding qualified staff more difficult.
"This post-COVID time has been one of the hardest, in 2023, restarting was hard. That's why we just had to get more innovative with hiring," Mr Stapleton said.
Opportunities for school leavers, retirees and career changers
As well as doing away with resumes, Mr Stapleton is inviting applicants with non-childcare backgrounds to work at the Dubbo Early Learning Centre and be trained and qualified for free.
The only requirement? Being passionate about making a difference in kids' lives.
"We've got some great people who used to be nurses and it's not suited to them anymore, for example the shift work. But their skills are so transferable into early childhood," he said.
"We've got grandmothers who've come out of retirement for one day a week because it doesn't affect their pension and they love being regenerated in energy by being around young children.
"Another huge success story was a male educator who had nine brothers and sisters and he was one of the older ones ... he just knew exactly what to do with kids to get them engaged."
The change in approach has also made it easier for Dubbo's growing migrant community to get a foot in the door.
"The culture in Dubbo is changing and it's and it's changing so rapidly as well," he said.
"You might get people from, who have moved to Dubbo from other countries and they might not have access to a computer just yet or not a great command of the written English language yet.
"So just coming in and having a conversation takes away that barrier."
While it is a challenging job, Mr Stapleton said it's very rewarding for those who decide to give it a go.
"Amazing things happen every day," he said.
