New Level 2 trailblazer group given go-ahead

The new standard will lead to a new Level 2 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship, and follows the release of the long-awaited level 3 standard in April by a different trailblazer group, led by Busy Bees.

The group’s new chair, Michael Freeston said it was ‘essential’ the new level 2 standard was in place by September this year as a way of creating a pipeline to help unqualified childcare staff to progress.

To get this work underway, the group has today launched a sector consultation to ‘ensure that the Level 2 standard is developed to meet the training needs of the sector and raise the quality of early years provision across the country’.

Mr Freeston, the Early Years Alliance’s director of quality improvement, urged childcare sector as a whole to respond. He said, ‘This trailblazer group will be made up of a wide range of employers and other organisations to ensure the new standard meets the needs of the sector as a whole and I encourage all involved with workforce development in our sector to respond to the consultation.’

Julie Hyde, CACHE Director, which acts in an advisory capacity to the panel, said, the standard ‘will be a key driver in improving the recruitment and retention of high quality practitioners in the sector. It’s been identified that gaps in sector specific skills were highest for staff qualified to Level 2 or below, by developing this standard with the needs of employers at the forefront, we can overcome these challenges and provide a clear progression route for practitioners.’

The new group includes representatives from:

• Kids Planet Day Nurseries
• Kids Allowed
• London Early Years Foundation
• Each Peach Childcare
• Paint Pots Nursery
• Happy Tree Ltd, Just Childcare Ltd
• Childbase Partnership
• Ashbourne Day Nurseries
• Sky High Achievers

Awarding body CACHE will also be acting in an advisory capacity.

The consultation can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/trailblazerlevel2.