Playworkers found to lack job-specific training

Playwork People 4 found that employers in the sector are struggling to find staff with the skills they are looking for. Two-thirds of employers surveyed said only a few of their new recruits have the skills necessary to do their job, and nine out of ten said that it was skills specific to playwork that they found lacking in potential recruits. Six in ten employers said they had a skills gap. The most common skill lacking was 'knowledge of the playwork values and principles'.

The report is based on two questionnaires, one for employers and employees, which generated 575 responses, and a separate questionnaire for employers only, which generated 200 responses.

Despite the skills gaps, two-thirds of employers said they spent less than £1,000 on training across their whole workforce. Both playwork employers and employees identified the times of day at which training providers run courses as the main barrier to accessing training.

Among employees, playwork qualifications were not held in high regard, with 46 per cent saying they were more interested in obtaining qualifications not specific to playwork so they would have a wider choice of careers and would not be restricted to playwork. Retention was also cited as a challenge, with only 44 per cent of respondents saying that staying in the playwork sector was important to them when choosing their next job.

Stephen Studd, chief executive of SkillsActive, said, 'Our job is to identify and communicate the workforce development needs of the playwork sector. Much work is needed to improve the supply of potential employees with the required skills and qualifications. The report is a key tool in this process and we aim to use this information to move forward and lobby on behalf of the sector to provide our playworkers with the funding and training needed.'

Further information

www.skillsactive.com