Early Years and Childcare. The university partnership welcomes the opportunity to work with the sector on the Scottish Government’s planned transformative change in the early learning and childcare (ELC) provision and the demand for additional high quality early years staff which will be needed to meet this commitment. Staff within our applied life studies subject network have been involved in consultation events on the scoping of an Early Learning and Childcare Skills Investment Plan. An aspect of this curriculum that promotes employability opportunities is the placements offered by many of our courses. These are excellent opportunities for the students, and sometimes they are offered a job as a result. However, there are some challenges logistically in increasing placements and there is sometimes competition from other areas of the curriculum such as teacher education. Our development around integrated health and social care will include early years and childcare. Addressing the gender balance in this area will be considered and developed through the gender action plans. The university is considering a proposal for the Gaelic translation of our early years and childcare curriculum, with the help of childcare staff in Lews Castle College UHI who are native Gaelic speakers and support from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Funding is being discussed with Bòrd na Gàidhlig. One specific area of curriculum development for the university is a SCQF level 9 qualification in residential childcare. This could be a substantial area of demand. Unlike childhood practice, where only lead practitioners need a level 9 qualification, all lead practitioners and practitioners working within residential childcare are going to need to be qualified to level 9 by 2019.
Early Years and Childcare. The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey10 suggests that over a quarter of a million people work within early years and childcare settings. These are predominantly women. Around half work part-time (less than 30 hours a week), although this varies by sector, ranging from 88% of those in sessional care settings to 30% of those in full day care settings. The most recent survey suggests that the workforce appears to be becoming better qualified. According to the survey 58 per cent of childcare staff have at least a Level 3 qualification (up from 48% 2003), and 74 per cent have a relevant qualification of some type (compared with 71% 2003). Four per cent of staff have a Level 6 qualification or above. However, because this survey does not cover all the early years and childcare workforce, and because the methodology has changed over the years, it is difficult to determine trends accurately. More significantly it is not based on a common understanding of what constitutes a full, relevant and appropriate Level 3 qualification. A summary of data relating to Early Years Childcare is shown in Table 1 overleaf. 9 Research commissioned by the National Audit Office on competition and contestability in the delivery of public services to report in 2007, may be useful in informing these issues for the children's workforce.
