EYP Update: In My View - Speaking as a male
Gerry Garvey currently works for Cumbria local authority as a workforce development co-ordinator, and also oversees nursery practice. He is just coming to the end of the Short Pathway to gain Early Years Professional Status.
'I realised straightaway when EYPS was launched that it was something I had to do. With my responsibility for training, I knew that people would be coming to me as professionals and questioning why I hadn't done it - so that clinched it.
'In fact, it turned out to be a double opportunity, as just prior to embarking on the course a local setting gave me a placement, providing me with the chance to work in the baby room and with toddlers and pre-schoolers. This was a bit of a culture shock - a far cry from my days in the Army and from my desk job. But it was just the experience I needed, helping me to identify the barriers to training that exist largely in the Third Sector in my area.
'It also enabled me to experience how truly professional the workforce is and appreciate that EYPS is vital to achieving recognition.
'So why are there not more men in childcare? The biggest problem remains pay. Men are still typically the main breadwinner in a family, and the levels of pay do not generally make it a sustainable career.
'Certainly, there needs to be a robust recruitment procedure that enables the right males to work with children. Having visited the many nurseries within our authority, most are crying out for men. There are one or two who have indicated they are a bit reluctant, but that is largely due to how they think parents will react if they find out their key childcare contact is a male.
'This is where EYPS comes in. It raises professionalism and makes it easier for providers to reassert a positive message about all of their staff.'
'The small nursery I have been working in has been very supportive and played an important role in setting me on the road to becoming an EYP.'
