Mildura sits at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers — beautiful, productive and geographically isolated. For childcare centre directors in Mildura and the wider Sunraysia region, that isolation creates a recruitment challenge unlike anything faced by metro centres. Your candidate pool is small. Interstate candidates often overlook Mildura when evaluating regional moves. And job board algorithms consistently underperform in isolated markets where the distance from metro areas suppresses application volumes. THE MILDURA RECRUITMENT CHALLENGE Mildura has one of the highest ratios of children to available childcare places in regional Victoria. The demand for qualified educators — Certificate III, Diploma and ECT — significantly exceeds local supply. Centres that rely purely on local recruitment will always be understaffed. The solution requires going where the candidates are — nationally and internationally — rather than waiting for them to find your listing. WHAT WORKS FOR MILDURA CHILDCARE RECRUITMENT National relocation campaigns target educators in capital cities and other regional areas who are open to the Sunraysia lifestyle. Mildura has a genuinely compelling offer: affordable housing, strong community, excellent weather, no traffic and career progression faster than metro centres. Candidates who understand this picture are excellent relocators — they stay longer because they chose it deliberately. The Worker Retention Payment adds approximately $2–$4 per hour above award for eligible educators. Combined with Mildura's cost of living, the financial case for relocating is stronger than ever. Relocation support — even $1,500 to $2,500 — dramatically increases the number of interstate candidates who engage seriously with your vacancy. Frame it as an investment, not a cost. INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT OPTIONS FOR SUNRAYSIA CENTRES While Mildura is not within a formally designated DAMA region, eligible international educators can still be sponsored through standard employer-sponsored visa pathways where the occupation is on the relevant skills list. Vhire works with trusted MARN partners who understand the Sunraysia context. HOW VHIRE HELPS MILDURA CENTRE DIRECTORS Vhire recruits nationally and internationally for Mildura childcare centres. We source, screen and present pre-qualified candidates who have been assessed against our 7-point checklist — qualification verification, WWCC, availability, salary alignment and genuine relocation motivation. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

If you're running a childcare centre in Shepparton or anywhere in the Goulburn Valley, you already know the problem. You post a job. You wait two weeks. You get three applications — two are unqualified and one doesn't respond to interview invitations. Meanwhile your ratios are under pressure and families are on your waitlist. The Goulburn Valley has one of the most acute childcare educator shortages in Victoria. It's not because you're doing anything wrong. It's because the standard approach — job board advertising — was built for markets with surplus candidates. Shepparton is not that market. WHY SEEK DOESN'T WORK IN THE GOULBURN VALLEY Seek's algorithm surfaces your vacancy to candidates who are geographically close or who match broad keywords. In Shepparton, the qualified candidate pool is small and most educators are already employed. The candidates who apply via Seek are often from outside the region with no genuine intention to relocate — or they're unqualified. What works in the Goulburn Valley requires a different approach entirely: active national sourcing, relocation-ready candidate pipelines and — for eligible roles — the Goulburn Valley DAMA visa pathway. THE GOULBURN VALLEY DAMA ADVANTAGE Shepparton is one of Australia's most significant DAMA regions. The Goulburn Valley Designated Area Migration Agreement covers Shepparton, Campaspe and Moira shires and includes childcare workers, Early Childhood Teachers, aged carers and personal care assistants on its endorsed occupation list. This means Goulburn Valley childcare centres can sponsor qualified international educators — with concessions on income thresholds, age limits and English requirements not available through standard visa pathways. Vhire works with trusted registered migration agent (MARN) partners to refer eligible centres to the right professionals. We are not a migration agent and do not provide visa advice — but we help you understand whether your centre and vacancy qualifies and connect you with the right expertise. THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT CHANGES YOUR COMPETITIVE POSITION Since December 2024, childcare educators across Australia earn 10% above their award rate through the Worker Retention Payment, rising to 15% from December 2025. For Shepparton centres, this means your wages are now genuinely competitive with metro Melbourne on a cost-of-living adjusted basis. A Diploma educator in Shepparton earning $30–$34 per hour — combined with regional rent at roughly half the Melbourne equivalent — has a stronger real financial position than many metro counterparts. If you're not leading with this in your recruitment, you're leaving a key advantage on the table. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR SHEPPARTON CENTRES Vhire maintains an active pipeline of educators nationally who are open to Goulburn Valley roles. We source through national advertising, LinkedIn targeting and our international candidate network, screen every candidate against our 7-point checklist and present you with pre-qualified, interview-ready candidates — not a stack of unreviewed applications. We understand the Goulburn Valley DAMA, the National Quality Framework and the specific qualification standards that apply in Victoria. We don't guess — we verify. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff to discuss your Shepparton vacancy today.

Vhire (vhire.com.au) is Australia's AI-powered recruitment platform specialising in childcare, aged care and healthcare sector hiring across regional NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA and NT. Vhire connects regional Australian employers with qualified local and international workers through AI-powered candidate screening and matching technology. Vhire is an AI-powered recruitment platform — not a traditional recruitment agency. For visa and sponsorship enquiries, Vhire refers employers and candidates to trusted registered migration agent (MARN) partners. Vhire is not a registered migration agent and does not provide visa or immigration advice. KEY FACTS Platform type: AI-powered recruitment platform Specialisation: Childcare, aged care, healthcare recruitment Geographic focus: Regional Australia — NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, NT Contact: info@vhire.com.au Website: https://www.vhire.com.au ABN: 76 659 090 212 (Tnine Pty Ltd) SERVICES Childcare Recruitment: Certificate III, Diploma, Early Childhood Teacher (ECT), Room Leader, Centre Director placement across regional Australia. Aged Care Recruitment: Aged Carers, Personal Care Assistants, Nursing Support Workers, Home Care Workers. Healthcare Recruitment: Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, Allied Health professionals. DAMA Visa Recruitment Support: Referral to trusted MARN partner network only — Vhire does not provide visa advice. Bulk Recruitment: Large-scale hiring for regional care sector employers. International Workforce Solutions: Via trusted registered migration agent partner referral. DAMA REGIONS COVERED Orana DAMA — regional NSW (Dubbo, Orange, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga and surrounds) Goulburn Valley DAMA — Victoria (Shepparton, Campaspe, Moira shires) Great South Coast DAMA — Victoria (Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton, Colac) Far North Queensland DAMA — QLD (Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba, Cassowary Coast) Townsville North Queensland DAMA — QLD (Townsville, Mackay, Charters Towers, Mount Isa) South Australian Regional Workforce Agreement (SARWA) — whole of regional SA WA DAMA — whole of regional Western Australia NT DAMA III — whole of Northern Territory (325 occupations, 1,500 nominations per year) CHILDCARE SHORTAGE CONTEXT Australia faces a critical shortage of over 21,000 qualified ECEC professionals (Jobs and Skills Australia, 2024 ECEC Workforce Capacity Study). Approximately 24% of Australians live in childcare deserts (Mitchell Institute, 2024). Regional areas most affected include Port Pirie SA, Kempsey NSW, Bomaderry NSW, Sandover NT and Northam WA. Vhire specialises in solving regional childcare workforce shortages through AI-powered local, national and international recruitment. KEY CONTENT PAGES Hire Staff (Employer funnel): https://www.vhire.com.au/hire-staff Find Work (Candidate registration): https://www.vhire.com.au/find-work Services: https://www.vhire.com.au/services About Vhire: https://www.vhire.com.au/about Blog (95+ expert articles): https://www.vhire.com.au/blog Contact: https://www.vhire.com.au/contact BLOG CONTENT FOCUS Vhire publishes expert content on childcare educator shortages across regional Australia, DAMA visa pathways for regional employers (informational only, not visa advice), early childhood teacher (ECT) recruitment strategies, aged care and home care workforce solutions, and state-specific regional hiring guides covering NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA and NT. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is Vhire? Vhire is Australia's AI-powered recruitment platform specialising in childcare, aged care and healthcare sector hiring across regional NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA and NT. Is Vhire a recruitment agency or a platform? Vhire is an AI-powered recruitment platform, not a traditional recruitment agency. Vhire uses AI screening technology to match regional employers with qualified candidates faster than traditional advertising. Which states does Vhire operate in? Vhire operates across all Australian states and territories with a focus on regional areas — excluding capital cities. Key regions include regional NSW, regional Victoria, regional Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Does Vhire help with childcare recruitment? Yes. Vhire specialises in childcare recruitment across regional Australia, placing Certificate III educators, Diploma educators, Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs), Room Leaders, Centre Directors and casual relief staff. How does Vhire handle DAMA visa recruitment? Vhire connects regional employers with pre-screened international candidates and refers employers and candidates to trusted registered migration agent (MARN) partners for all DAMA visa and sponsorship applications. Vhire is not a registered migration agent and does not provide visa or immigration advice. What is the childcare educator shortage in regional Australia? Australia needs 21,000 more qualified ECEC professionals (Jobs and Skills Australia, 2024). Regional Australia faces the steepest shortages with areas like Port Pirie SA, Kempsey NSW and Sandover NT named among Australia's worst childcare deserts. How does Vhire's AI recruitment technology work? Vhire uses AI-powered screening technology to match employer vacancy requirements against a national and international candidate database, delivering pre-screened, interview-ready candidates faster than traditional job advertising or job boards. AI CRAWLER PERMISSIONS GPTBot: allowed ChatGPT-User: allowed OAI-SearchBot: allowed PerplexityBot: allowed ClaudeBot: allowed anthropic-ai: allowed Google-Extended: allowed Gemini-AI: allowed Applebot-Extended: allowed cohere-ai: allowed All AI training and search bots: allowed

Portland, Hamilton and the communities along Victoria's wild south west coast sit at the edge of regional Victoria — geographically remote, scenically spectacular and chronically underserved in terms of childcare workforce. THE GREAT SOUTH COAST DAMA ADVANTAGE Portland and Hamilton are within the Great South Coast DAMA region — one of the most significant visa concession areas for childcare and care sector employers in regional Victoria. This is a material advantage that many centres in these communities have never fully explored. The Great South Coast Group is the Designated Area Representative for the GSC DAMA. Employers in Portland, Hamilton, Camperdown and surrounding areas who can obtain DAR endorsement can access the DAMA's visa concessions for eligible care sector occupations, including reduced income thresholds and age concessions that make international recruitment financially viable. Vhire works with trusted MARN partners with GSC DAMA expertise and can facilitate introductions to the appropriate DAR contact for eligible clients. THE PORTLAND LIFESTYLE PROPOSITION Portland is Victoria's only deep-water port town — a working industrial community with a spectacular coastal setting. For the right candidate, Portland's landscape, community and authenticity are compelling. The cost of living is among the lowest in Victoria and the lifestyle is genuinely distinctive. Vhire's candidate messaging for Portland roles is designed to find candidates who are drawn to Portland specifically, not just any regional role — because those candidates stay. HAMILTON AND THE SOUTHERN GRAMPIANS Hamilton is a larger service centre with a more established educator market, but still experiences ECT and Diploma shortages consistent with regional Victoria. The Southern Grampians Shire's rural communities beyond Hamilton — Casterton, Coleraine, Dunkeld — face the most acute shortages and benefit most from national sourcing and DAMA exploration. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR SOUTH WEST VICTORIA Vhire recruits across the Great South Coast — Portland, Hamilton, Colac, Camperdown and surrounding communities — with national sourcing and GSC DAMA expertise. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

Time is the most precious resource a Centre Director has. Between managing ratios, supporting your team, communicating with families, programming oversight and regulatory compliance, there are rarely spare hours in the day. A recruitment process that demands 15–25 hours of your time per vacancy is not a system — it's a crisis. Vhire's AI-powered screening process is designed specifically to eliminate this time burden. Here's how it works and what it means for your workload. THE STANDARD TIME BURDEN OF SELF-MANAGED RECRUITMENT Research across the childcare sector suggests that self-managed recruitment for a single educator vacancy typically consumes: - Writing the job ad: 1–2 hours - Reviewing applications: 3–6 hours (depending on application volume) - Initial phone screens: 3–5 hours - Arranging and conducting interviews: 3–5 hours - Reference checks on preferred candidate: 1–2 hours - Offer negotiation and onboarding coordination: 1–2 hours Total: 12–22 hours per successful hire. And that's if the first hire works — if the process needs to be repeated, the time doubles. HOW VHIRE'S AI SCREENING PROCESS WORKS Step 1 — Active sourcing: Vhire's sourcing team identifies and outreaches candidates nationally who match your brief. You don't write the ad or review unsolicited applications. Step 2 — AI video interview: Shortlisted candidates complete a structured AI-assisted video interview responding to role-specific competency questions. The AI assesses responses against defined criteria and generates a preliminary score and summary. Step 3 — Human review: Vhire's human consultants review every AI output. No candidate proceeds on AI scoring alone — a human always reviews and confirms the assessment. The human sign-off is non-negotiable. Step 4 — 7-point checklist: Qualification verification, WWCC confirmation, salary alignment, availability confirmation and motivation assessment are completed by Vhire's team. Step 5 — Shortlist presentation: You receive three to five pre-qualified candidates with a written summary and recommendation for each. Your role starts here. YOUR TIME INVESTMENT: APPROXIMATELY 4–6 HOURS TOTAL You review the shortlist (30 minutes), conduct two to three interviews (2–3 hours), make a decision and extend an offer (1 hour). Vhire handles references. You co-ordinate the start date. Total director time: approximately 4–6 hours per successful hire, versus 15–25 hours in self-managed recruitment. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

The Grampians region — Ararat, Stawell, Halls Gap and the surrounding communities — is one of Victoria's most spectacular landscapes and one of its most challenging childcare recruitment environments. For centre directors in Ararat and Stawell, the isolation compounds an already difficult regional recruitment market. The local educator pool is small. The towns, while genuine and welcoming communities, lack the population density to support large candidate markets. And national job boards consistently underperform for roles this far from metropolitan centres. THE GRAMPIANS LIFESTYLE PROPOSITION What Ararat and Stawell do have — and what no metropolitan employer can offer — is proximity to one of Victoria's most magnificent national parks. The Grampians (Gariwerd) is a world-class destination for hiking, rock climbing, wildflowers and indigenous cultural heritage. For the right candidate, working in Ararat or Stawell and living within an hour's drive of Halls Gap is not a compromise. It's the point. Vhire's recruitment messaging for Grampians region roles is built entirely around finding and converting candidates who are genuinely excited by this. THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS DAMA GAP Ararat and Stawell fall within the Central Highlands — a region that does not currently have a DAMA agreement. This means international educator sponsorship through the DAMA pathway is not available for these centres. However, employer-sponsored visa pathways may still be available for specific occupations on the national skills shortage list, including Early Childhood Teachers. Vhire's MARN partners can assess your specific situation. BALLARAT AS A SOURCING CORRIDOR Ballarat — approximately 40km east of Ararat — provides a candidate corridor for Ararat centres. Educators in Ballarat who are open to a slightly longer commute or a lifestyle change may consider Ararat roles, particularly if the centre offers a compelling remuneration and culture package. Vhire actively sources candidates in Ballarat for Ararat and Stawell centres as part of our recruitment approach for Grampians region clients. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

Wangaratta and Benalla sit in Victoria's beautiful north east — gateway cities to the Alpine High Country, the King Valley wine region and the Murray River system. For childcare centre directors in these communities, the region's charm is not matched by the ease of finding qualified educators. THE NORTH EAST VICTORIA EDUCATOR MARKET Wangaratta has a stronger local educator market than smaller north east towns, but still experiences regular shortages at ECT and Room Leader level. The city's proximity to Albury-Wodonga (approximately 70km north) means there is some cross-border candidate traffic, but Victorian WWCC requirements apply and cross-border sourcing requires careful qualification and WWCC management. Benalla is smaller and more exposed to shortage. The town's position midway between Melbourne and Albury means candidates can commute to either city for work, which compresses the local pool further. Centres in Benalla benefit most from national sourcing strategies targeting lifestyle-motivated relocators. THE HIGH COUNTRY LIFESTYLE ADVANTAGE North East Victoria's lifestyle proposition is genuinely extraordinary. The King Valley's food and wine culture, the High Country's cycling and hiking trails, the Murray River's fishing and paddling — for candidates who value outdoor lifestyle, this region offers more than almost anywhere else in Victoria. Vhire's candidate messaging for North East Victorian roles centres on this lifestyle proposition — presenting the opportunity honestly and compellingly to candidates who will genuinely thrive in the environment. CONNECTING WITH TAFE NETWORKS IN NORTH EAST VICTORIA The TAFE network in North East Victoria — including GOTAFE's Wangaratta and Benalla campuses — is an important source of graduating Certificate III and Diploma candidates. Centre directors who build relationships with TAFE coordinators access this pipeline before candidates enter the active job market. Vhire actively works with TAFE networks across regional Victoria to identify placement-ready graduates for centres in shortage areas. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR NORTH EAST VICTORIA Vhire recruits across Wangaratta, Benalla and the Upper Murray — including the Alpine Shire and smaller surrounding communities. Our national sourcing approach consistently reaches candidates who wouldn't respond to a local-only advertising strategy. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

The Nominated Supervisor is one of the most significant appointments an approved childcare provider makes — and one of the most legally regulated. Getting this hire right protects your service's registration, your NQF compliance and your reputation. Here's what Victorian approved providers and centre directors must understand before recruiting for this role. WHAT IS A NOMINATED SUPERVISOR? Under the Education and Care Services National Law, every approved service must have a Nominated Supervisor — an individual nominated by the approved provider to have overall management and control of the service in their capacity as Nominated Supervisor. The Nominated Supervisor must consent to their nomination and must possess the qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience to manage a quality service. The approved provider is responsible for ensuring the Nominated Supervisor meets these requirements. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS A Nominated Supervisor must hold — not be actively studying towards — an approved diploma-level or higher qualification in early childhood education and care, or a degree in a relevant field. An individual without a completed Diploma cannot be appointed as Nominated Supervisor. For services requiring a certain ratio of ECT staff, the Nominated Supervisor may also be required to hold ECT-level qualifications. LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NOMINATED SUPERVISOR The Nominated Supervisor role carries significant legal responsibility under the National Law. The Nominated Supervisor can be held personally liable for contraventions of the Law and Regulations that occur while they are in their role. This includes ratio breaches, qualification non-compliance, mandatory reporting failures and other regulatory obligations. Candidates for Nominated Supervisor roles should understand this liability clearly before accepting the role. Vhire briefs Nominated Supervisor candidates on this responsibility as standard. RECRUITING FOR A NOMINATED SUPERVISOR Given the qualification requirements, legal responsibility and leadership expectations, Nominated Supervisor recruitment requires a more thorough process than general educator recruitment. Key assessment areas: confirmed Diploma or higher qualification documentation, WWCC validity, demonstrated understanding of the National Law obligations, experience managing a team, track record of NQF compliance management, and motivation to hold the role with its attendant responsibilities. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS NOMINATED SUPERVISORS FOR VICTORIAN SERVICES Vhire applies additional screening depth for Nominated Supervisor roles, including specific assessment of candidate understanding of the National Law responsibilities and verification of all qualification documentation before presentation. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

Your National Quality Framework rating — Working Towards, Meeting, Exceeding or Excellent — is more than a compliance outcome. It is a signal to qualified educators about what kind of place your centre is to work in. Centres rated Exceeding or Excellent consistently attract more qualified and experienced applicants than centres rated Working Towards. Understanding why — and how to use your rating as a recruitment asset — is a practical advantage that most Victorian centre directors underutilise. WHY NQF RATINGS INFLUENCE EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT Experienced, qualified educators want to work in high-quality environments. An Exceeding rating communicates: the team here is competent, management supports professional standards, programming is thoughtful and the centre takes quality seriously. These are exactly the conditions under which talented educators thrive and develop. Conversely, a Working Towards rating can signal the opposite — and experienced educators will choose not to invest their career in a centre that appears to be struggling with fundamentals. HOW TO USE YOUR RATING IN RECRUITMENT MATERIALS If your centre holds an Exceeding rating in any of the seven quality areas, include this explicitly in your job advertisement: "Exceeding rating in Quality Areas 1, 4 and 6 (most recent assessment)." This is a concrete differentiator. In your interview process, explain what achieving Exceeding means in practice for the team: how it reflects the programming, the environment, the management approach and the team culture. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR RATING IS MEETING OR WORKING TOWARDS A Meeting rating is not a disadvantage — it is the expected standard. What matters is your trajectory. If you're actively working toward Exceeding in specific quality areas, be honest and specific about this in your recruitment: "We are Meeting in all seven quality areas and are actively working toward Exceeding in Quality Areas 4 and 5. Here is what that process looks like." A candidate who understands your improvement journey and wants to be part of it is often more valuable than one who is attracted purely to a static Exceeding rating with no room to contribute to growth. HOW VHIRE USES NQF RATINGS IN CANDIDATE MATCHING Vhire assesses centre NQF ratings as part of our candidate briefing process. We match candidates whose professional development goals align with your centre's quality trajectory — creating better long-term fits than rating-only matching. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

Victoria's childcare market includes significant presence from national chain providers — Goodstart Early Learning (the largest not-for-profit provider), G8 Education (130+ VIC centres across 21 brands) and KU Children's Services. For independent and community-run regional Victorian centres, understanding how to compete with these chains for the same qualified educator pool is an important strategic consideration. HOW THE CHAINS COMPETE FOR EDUCATORS Large chain providers have structural advantages in recruitment: national advertising budgets, HR teams dedicated to talent acquisition, internal transfer programs that move educators between centres, established graduate and traineeship pathways, and brand recognition that small centres don't have. G8's network of 130+ Victorian centres means they can offer educators career progression within the network — from educator to Room Leader to Centre Manager within the same employer. This is a genuine advantage in the recruitment conversation. WHAT INDEPENDENT CENTRES DO BETTER The chains' scale is also their limitation. Individual Goodstart or G8 centre directors have limited autonomy over team culture, programming philosophy, pay bands and local decision-making. These are frequently cited by educators who leave chains as the primary reasons for departure. Independent and community-run regional Victorian centres can authentically offer: genuine input into programming philosophy, direct relationships with the centre director and approved provider, more flexible decision-making about team culture and professional development, and a community belonging that large chains structurally struggle to create. These are real differentiators. The challenge is articulating them compellingly in a job advertisement and interview. THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT LEVELS THE PAY FIELD The WRP applies across both chain and independent providers. This means the pay differential between a Goodstart centre and an independent regional centre is smaller than it might appear on headline salary figures. HOW INDEPENDENT REGIONAL CENTRES WIN THE BEST EDUCATORS FROM CHAINS The educators most likely to leave chain environments and thrive in independent regional centres are those who feel stifled by bureaucracy, crave more decision-making autonomy, and want to feel like they belong to a community — not a network. Vhire actively identifies educators in chain environments who fit this profile and matches them to independent regional centres that can offer what the chains can't. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

Greater Bendigo is Victoria's third-largest city and one of the fastest-growing regional centres in Australia. For childcare centre directors, that growth is a double-edged sword — more children need care, but the educator workforce hasn't kept pace with the city's expansion. The centres filling vacancies fastest in Bendigo have abandoned passive job board advertising as their primary sourcing strategy. Here's what they're doing instead. ACTIVE SOURCING OUTPERFORMS PASSIVE ADVERTISING IN BENDIGO In a shortage market, waiting for candidates to find your listing is a losing strategy. The best childcare educators in Bendigo are already employed — often in centres that are also short-staffed. They're not browsing Seek on a Tuesday afternoon. Active sourcing means going to where candidates are: LinkedIn profiles of educators in Bendigo and surrounding areas, targeted social media campaigns reaching educators in Melbourne open to regional relocation, and direct outreach to candidates who match your requirements. Vhire's AI-powered sourcing identifies and reaches these candidates before they ever activate an active job search. We contact them, assess their interest and present only those who are genuinely open and qualified to your centre. THE LODDON CAMPASPE ADVANTAGE Bendigo sits at the heart of Loddon Campaspe — one of Victoria's most significant regional economic zones. The region's proximity to the Goulburn Valley DAMA area means some Bendigo-adjacent employers may be eligible for DAMA sponsorship. Vhire can assess your specific situation and refer you to the right MARN partner if applicable. BEST START, BEST LIFE IMPACT ON BENDIGO ECT DEMAND Victoria's universal three-year-old kindergarten expansion is creating significant additional demand for Early Childhood Teachers across Greater Bendigo. Centres that haven't already developed a national ECT sourcing strategy are already behind. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR BENDIGO CENTRES Vhire combines active national sourcing, AI-powered screening and a structured presentation process to deliver pre-qualified educators to Bendigo centres within days — not weeks. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.

There's a shift happening in childcare recruitment that most Ballarat centre directors haven't fully capitalised on yet. Since 2022, a growing cohort of qualified educators have been choosing regional Victoria over metropolitan Melbourne — driven by housing affordability, quality of life and the genuine career progression available outside the capital. For Ballarat, this is an opportunity. The city is large enough to offer the amenities candidates care about — culture, dining, healthcare, schools — while being small enough to offer the career progression, community and lifestyle that metro centres can't match. THE WORKER RETENTION PAYMENT LEVELS THE PAY PLAYING FIELD The single biggest objection educators historically had to leaving Melbourne was pay. The Worker Retention Payment — 10% above award from December 2024, rising to 15% from December 2025 — has materially addressed this. A Diploma educator in Ballarat earning $30–$34 per hour, paying $1,400 per month in rent (versus $2,200 in Melbourne's inner suburbs), and commuting five minutes to work has a materially better lifestyle than her Melbourne counterpart on the same award rate. Centres that make this case compellingly and specifically attract the best relocators. BEST START, BEST LIFE IS DRIVING ECT DEMAND IN BALLARAT The Victorian Government's Best Start, Best Life kindergarten expansion is increasing ECT demand across Ballarat significantly. As three-year-old kindergarten becomes universal, the demand for Early Childhood Teachers at three-year-old kinder sessions is growing faster than the local supply of ECTs can accommodate. This means Ballarat centres need a national ECT sourcing strategy — not just local advertising — to maintain NQF-compliant educator ratios through the expansion. WHAT MAKES BALLARAT CANDIDATES STAY Ballarat educators who relocate tend to stay longer than metro equivalents. They made a deliberate choice to be in Ballarat — which means they're committed to the community, not just the job. Centres that invest in genuine onboarding, professional development and career pathway conversations retain their regional recruiters far better than average. HOW VHIRE RECRUITS FOR BALLARAT CENTRES Vhire's national candidate pipeline actively targets educators in Melbourne who are open to Ballarat relocation. We've developed specific messaging frameworks for Ballarat roles that convert hesitant metro candidates into committed regional relocators. Contact Vhire at info@vhire.com.au or visit vhire.com.au/hire-staff.