Study reveals trends in global ECEC workforce

Early Childhood Education & Care: Workforce Trends & Associated Factors focuses on the UK children’s day nursery sector and settings of an equivalent type in several other countries.

During the past 12 months, Christie’s team has visited more than 1,000 ECEC settings across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, China, Hong Kong and Japan, and surveyed providers of more than 200,000 childcare places across the world, and held consultations with the sector.

Courteney Donaldson, Christie’s managing director, childcare and education, said what stood out was the ‘passion to deliver high-quality’ services whether in ‘Edinburgh or Birmingham, or Indonesia, Tokyo or Shanghai’.

Workforce

The delivery of good-quality ECEC provision is dependent on the quality and availability of a suitable workforce, according to the report.

‘It is also notable that workforce-related issues are frequently cited as the number-one challenge by the vast majority of operators, regardless of global geographic location,’ Ms Donaldson said.

‘This is especially true of the UK, where the operational landscape has changed almost beyond recognition over the past 20 years. As with the adult social care sector, ECEC operators have increasingly cited concerns of a workforce crisis, compounded by inadequate funding.’

While ‘every country operates differently’, the UK is ‘really one of only two countries where school-leavers can be employed in early years settings’ with no extra ECEC qualifications. This is the case for both the UK and the United States.

There are ‘very stark differences’ between the qualifications of childcare practitioners in other countries, and the challenge that links into that is the way that childcare is perceived as a career in the UK.

Referring to recent research showing the rise in the number of early years workers leaving the sector, Ms Donaldson said, ‘It’s the perception of the value that early years professionals have
and the level of salary. How can you compare those retail jobs with caring and looking after young children?

‘It comes down to Government subsidy. Interestingly, the UK collectively offers the most significant number of hours of subsidised funding, but is one of the lowest recipients of Government expenditure.’

With England’s 30-hour offer (and Wales and Scotland are rolling out their equivalents), the UK spend is £4,800 per child.

In contrast, Finland offers 20 hours of subsidised ECEC and spends up to £5,500 per child.
‘Funding does need to be revisited. There needs to be a level playing field [across maintained, PVI and schools],’ Ms Donaldson said.

To challenge misconceptions about career opportunities in childcare and early years and to raise the profile, Ms Donaldson suggested the Government could use TV advertising, in the same way it has for teachers, to showcase  career opportunities in order ‘to increase awareness of the nature and value of the role. The most crucial years are the early years.’
Christie’s report also highlights the positive nature of the global market, with UK groups opening settings abroad and overseas operators expanding here.

‘Some of these movements come from a desire about what we can learn from other countries,’ Ms Donaldson said, citing France’s Les Petits Chaperons Rouges, which now has operations in England, Germany and Canada.

The report finds that one of the benefits of overseas expansion is giving staff who want to experience working abroad the chance to do so.

KEY FINDINGS FROM OPERATOR SURVEY

• The proportion of UK staff with a formal teaching or degree-level qualification in the UK is lowest after Canada.
• Considerable competition for prospective trainee nursery practitioners from retail and leisure industries in particular.
• 67 per cent of UK operators have difficulty finding good-quality staff and struggle with staff retention.
• There is rising concern in the UK that without significant intervention, the workforce crisis could deepen, threatening the sustainability of the ECEC sector.