Toby, 19, is completing a 12-month traineeship at Warrnambool City Council childcare centres in what is traditionally a female-dominated career.

“I’ve always wanted to work with kids,” Toby said. “I thought in doing this it would be a good experience for me to see if I wanted to go down this path. I was always looking to do primary teaching but I thought I’d try with a younger group first.”

Toby said whenever he told people he worked in childcare they gave him “the same shocked look” because there’s not many males who work as educators in the industry. “There should be more I reckon.” 

Toby said he often had boys hanging around him outside wanting to have a kick of the footy and he enjoyed the role.

Toby hopes to continue working in childcare and said he would look at pursuing teaching later on. 

Matron Swinton Childcare Centre’s Amy Nuske said having Toby on staff provided a positive influence for children who may not have a male role model in their life.

“He’s young and brings a different perspective,” Ms Nuske said “It brings a different dynamic to the workplace. It’s female dominated so it’s nice to have males working here too.” 

South West TAFE teacher Kate Williams said anyone with a passion for working with children could work in the field. 

“The kids love having male educators and they bring another dimension to the classroom,” she said.

Ms Williams said Toby was a great example of a male who was loving his role in early childhood education and she would encourage others to think about giving it a try.