Brand new recruitment campaign for early years workers launches today across TV, cinema, online, radio and out of home advertising
A major new national recruitment campaign has been launched by the Department for Education today (Friday 2nd February) alongside a trial of £1,000 cash sign-on bonuses, to give nurseries and early years providers the workers they need and offer more childcare places for parents.
The recruitment drive comes as the latest data shows that 102,480 children have been registered on the system, reflecting the strength of demand across the country before the first phase of the largest ever expansion in free childcare kicks in from April.
The rollout is set to save working parents using the full 30-hour entitlements up to £6,500 a year, doubling down on this government’s commitment to deliver a brighter future for Britain and improve economic security and opportunity for everyone.
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said:
The “Do Something Big” recruitment campaign is to encourage people to start a career working with small children - one part of this government’s ongoing sector support to ensure providers are in the best position to deliver the places parents need from April and September this year and next.
The campaign will look to boost recruitment across the sector by highlighting the vast array of childcare career routes and progression opportunities offering on-the-job training, flexible hours, and, most importantly, the chance to shape and support young lives.
A £1,000 sign-on bonus for childcare workers is also being launched today to increase capacity, tackle unemployment, and offer more childcare places.
The trial – which will cover 20 local authorities across the UK – will give new-starters and returners a tax-free cash payment shortly after they take up post.
Supporting with the cost of childcare and delivering a sustainable childcare sector is just one part of wider government efforts to grow the economy and reduce debt, with inflation falling from 11.1% to 4% and National Insurance by 2% in the last year alone.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott said:
This comes as new research finds half (51%) of Brits would consider working with pre-school children, and 2 in 5 (39%) agreed they would be more likely to do so if given £1,000 cash after joining.
The survey highlighted just how influential early years professionals are in a child’s development, with 97% of parents agreeing an early years professional had an impact on their child’s development, and two thirds (66%) agreeing they are one of the most important people in their child’s life.
Rebecca Mabey, Development Lead at a non-profit in Essex, has received her code from the Childcare Service and will be taking up 30 government-funded hours a week for her three-year-old boy from April:
Liam Erens, who works at a nursery in London as part of the London Early Years Foundation (LEYF), nearly let misconceptions about working in early years stop him pursuing a career he now loves. Liam joined LEYF two years ago as part of an all-male cohort of apprentices, and now works full-time as a qualified practitioner. He urges anyone considering a career in the sector to pursue it:
The government has also today taken steps to provide greater funding certainty to nurseries and childcare providers. Each year, the government sets out funding rates in the autumn, to take effect in the following financial year. A window - likely to be 8 weeks - will be introduced, within which local authorities have to confirm rates, after the point the Department announces local authority rates. We will work with the sector in the coming weeks to finalise the approach.
The government has also made clear to all local authorities that they should confirm local funding rates that come into force from 1st April no later than the end of February.
Clare Roberts, Kids Planet CEO said:
Minister for Employment, Jo Churchill said:
In October last year, the government allocated local authorities their share of £289m to support the expansion of wraparound childcare, so that every parent of a primary school-aged child could access childcare from 8am to 6pm by September 2026.
Today, four areas have confirmed they will be rolling out expanded wraparound provision from April 2024 - five months ahead of the national programme launch in September. Central Bedfordshire, the bi-borough of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire will begin expanding provision – increasing access to flexible childcare for local working parents as part of a test and learn phase to strengthen the delivery of national rollout.