Investing in Childcare Apprentices

What are people’s views on investing in childcare apprentices?

Taking on childcare apprentices can often help when it comes to recruitment. This can be even more beneficial if the trainee has completed their apprenticeship training at the nursery that is recruiting.

Having childcare apprentices on site means they learn hands-on experience, and they are often enthusiastic to learn. For nurseries it means that they get to mentor and mould potential employees, they will teach them exactly how the organisation works. Many childcare settings have set up apprenticeship training schemes that they offer at their settings. This helps when it comes to recruiting new staff and can often mean nurseries spend very little on recruitment ads.

For employees, it can be a cheap way to employ new employees. However, some nurseries find the apprenticeship wage an insult and often offer them a better wage.

The requirement to hold grade C or above in English and Maths has seen a drop in apprentices; training companies are seeing less and less candidates apply. Therefore, will this requirement add to the recruitment crisis?

Many nurseries have over the years seen apprentices move on up the ladder and progress on to becoming deputy managers. However, some settings today are finding it difficult to recruit new apprentices onto their training programmes.

For nurseries, they are unlikely to take on candidates who haven’t gained C or above in Maths and English as they won’t be counted towards their level 3 ratios. However, many apprentices are achieving C or above in English but are failing to obtain the maths grade.   Could nurseries be losing out on some great potential here?

When taking on childcare apprentices, it is important to read all legal points as it can be difficult to dismiss them. It is important that you find time to spend with each apprentice. Some settings make it the room leaders responsibility to show them the running of the room and mentor them while they are on the training programme. Some nurseries restrict what an apprentice can do for the first term and then when they are competent they are allowed to carry out these tasks. These tasks can vary from being a key person to administering medication. It can be difficult during the day to find that quality time to spend mentoring and talking to the apprentice, however, it is important that this happens.

Nurseries that invest in apprentices will often see a great return, leading to experienced employees.