Date published: 2024-05-14 | Category: Children's Services, Delivering for local residents, Equalities, Focusing on prevention, Health and Care, Improving people's lives, Schools, Colleges and Learning
A new drive to increase the number of early years education and childcare practitioners available to families in Bath and North East Somerset is under way.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched a new early years workforce recruitment and careers website, Shape Your Future, to help attract and retain high-quality early years staff and childminders.
The move comes in response to significant recruitment and retention issues felt both nationally and locally in recent years, which has led to a shortage of qualified early years staff and a lack of choice for parents and carers. Some nurseries and preschools have been unable to offer their full capacity of places and the number of childminders has reduced.
The Shape Your Future website acts as a ‘one stop shop’ for anyone interested in working in the early years sector and provides an insight into how the career offers a rewarding choice, with local practitioners sharing their experiences of their work and their career progression.
Early years vacancies in the private, voluntary, school nursery and wrap-around care sectors will also be listed on the site.
Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “Early years practitioners play a vital role in a child’s development and helping them to reach their potential. Working in a preschool, nursery, wraparound setting or as a childminder offers a fulfilling and flexible career where you are making a tangible difference to young lives. There’s so much opportunity for anyone looking to join or return to the sector.
“The Shape Your Future website brings together all the information potential candidates will need, including career pathways, current vacancies and links to our partner organisations. Our aim is to attract a diverse workforce that provides high quality early learning experiences for young children across Bath and North East Somerset.”
Nathalie, a childminder in Bath and North East Somerset, said: “We invest so much with the children and see them make these jumps. I feel so proud to have been a part of their lives.”
Cathy, a Senior Practitioner, added: “I thoroughly enjoy seeing the children develop and making their first steps into the big world.”
ENDS