The reasons for these difficulties ranged from lack of desire to work unsociable hours - 43 per cent of candidates wanted to work different hours than those offered, to a lack of suitable applicants. Out of the 850 senior managers interviewed for the study, 42 per cent said that they received too few applicants for the posts, 36 per cent said that there was a lack of qualified applicants and 24 per cent said that there were too few applicants with the right experience.
Paul Bonel, director of the playwork unit at SkillsActive, was surprised at the cited reasons. He said, 'I suggest that the biggest factor in recruitment continues to be terms and conditions, followed by the part-time nature of the work, and the absence of progression routes for qualification.'
He acknowledged that the part-time nature of the work 'is an issue' and that not all after-school provision can be of a full-time nature, nor do all sections of the workforce want to work full-time.
But Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said that although the sessional nature of the job creates difficulties for some people, many others such as classroom assistants and youth workers are 'actively looking for this type of sessional work'.
The report revealed that the average turnover rate of staff in the out-of-school sector was 23 per cent, similar to 2001 (25 per cent); however, the overall employment growth was 13 per cent, which was significantly down from 2001 (32 per cent).
Mr Bonel said the 'honeymoon' period - when there was a 'burst of interest about working in the early years, childcare and playwork sectors' - is over.
Both Ms Longfield and Mr Bonel agreed that working as a play, childcare or early years worker needs to be seen as an occupation with professional status and pay and conditions.
Mr Bonel said, 'We must make progress towards the concept of 'joined-up'
jobs so that people can develop a full-time working arrangement with children and young people if they wish to.'
Ms Longfield said that the sector needs to move to a stage where workers with portfolios can be employed by 'one lead contractor' (ie a consolidated contract with a school which allows them to also work in local after-school clubs). She said that this would lead to more job security and less uncertainty.
Mr Bonel described the challenge as 'twofold'. He said, 'First we must bring the training and qualifications together in a clear progression pathway that offers opportunities for advancement at all stages in the career of childcare workers from entry through levels 2 and 3 to higher levels.
'Second, this framework of training and qualifications needs to be linked to a national pay scale that offers remuneration for responsibility, length of service and career advancement.'
He added, 'Until all these are in place or on their way to be being in place, we will continue to be seen as a sector with little status, unable to fully compete in the recruitment stakes.'
