Call for tighter regulation of early years training providers
Janaki Mahadevan
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tighter regulation of training providers is needed to ensure that students are ready to enter the early years sector, according to the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).
In response to Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s ongoing review of early education and childcare qualifications, the NDNA said the quality of the delivery of qualifications is a bigger issue than the content of qualifications.
After consultation with its members the NDNA response said employers believe that in many cases people completing qualifications are not "work ready".
Stella Ziolkowski, NDNA’s director of quality and workforce development, said: "NDNA believes this should be addressed with more robust requirements for trainers to be up-to-date with practice and initiatives which should help to ensure that this knowledge is transferred and that learners are fully qualified upon completion of their course.
"Areas of development should include the requirement for trainers to have higher-level qualifications to enable them to effectively teach core elements, such as child development and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage."
Ziolkowski said another issue facing the sector is its public perception of the level of skill required to do the job.
"There is an anomaly between the view of the sector and the demands the job actually entails, and there need to be actions taken to alter this, particularly with careers services that are the initial point of contact for those thinking of a career in the early year sector," she said.
"Of course, the sector will struggle to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce in the future without better pay and continued targeted investment in the right level of training and qualifications."
The organisation’s consultation response also included the suggestion of a licence to practise, which it said could improve the professionalism of the sector.
"There has been a real growth and very positive investment from governments in the early years sector over the past decade," Ziolkowski added.
"The workforce is enthusiastic and committed to providing the best quality care and early education for children and we hope that changes to the qualifications will enable them to continue to do so."
