Nutbrown Review: Training providers 'not up to scratch', says NDNA
Catherine Gaunt
Monday, January 30, 2012
Training providers should be more tightly controlled, the National Day Nurseries Association has said in its response to the Government's review on early years qualifications, amid concerns that courses are not preparing childcare students for working in nurseries.
The NDNA's response to the Nutbrown review was based on feedback from members.
Nurseries said that early years qualifications should include a mix of academic study and hands-on experience.
There should also be more flexibility in the length of courses, so that their duration is determined according to the needs of the individual rather than by funding.
The Government's consultation on early education and childcare qualifications, led by Professor 
Cathy Nutbrown (pictured) ended this week.
Stella Ziolkowski, NDNA’s director of quality and workforce development, said,
‘Employers have told us that in many cases the quality of delivery of qualifications is a greater issue than the content of the qualifications and because of this, many people completing qualifications are simply not "work ready".’
In order to address this NDNA said that there should be stronger 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.’
She said that 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 EYFS.
Ms Ziolkowski added, ‘Another issue facing the early years workforce is public perception of the role and level of professionalism and skill required to do it effectively.
‘There is an anomaly between the view of the sector and the demands and impact on children 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.’
NDNA argues that 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.
Ms Ziolkowski added, ‘There has been a real growth and very positive investment from Governments in the early years sector over the past decade. 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.’
NDNA’s response to the consultation also covered other issues, including the possibility of introducing a licence to practice which would help to improve the professionalism of the sector by ensuring practitioners are qualified to the appropriate level and skills are maintained through a programme of continued professional development.
