The introduction of the National Childcare Strategy in 1997 has led to a boost in provision of early years education, childcare and playwork settings. In full day-care settings, the number of employees has increased in recent years. Sector information

Employment within the sector suffers from the contradiction of caring for children at a very formative age on one hand and on the other, being regarded as a low paid sector with low levels of qualifications, highs staff turnover and difficulties in recruitment. Sector information

The provision of childcare is highly influenced by the ‘history’ of childcare provision in different local contexts. Regional dimension

Occupations can be divided between those who are directly in contact with children (e.g. nursery nurses or managers of a setting), and those who work more from a distance to children and their families (e.g. trainers or regulators). Occupations

Most people working in the sector are female, with the largest proportion of men as paid employees (12.5%) and volunteers (26.1%) in out of school clubs. Equal opportunity issues

The proportion of staff in this sector from an ethnic minority background is less compared with the U.K. workforce as a whole. Equal opportunity issues

Using the Labour Force Survey, the majority of staff hold either level 2 or level 3 qualifications. Education and training

Sector information

This contains an overview of the sector as a whole, details future trends in employment together with skill gaps and workforce development issues.

Data and charts

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Regional / national dimension

Information on regional trends and differences.

Occupations

Information and trends on sectoral occupations.

Equal opportunities

Key information on equal opportunity issues specific to the sector.

Education and training

Education and training information and issues including work-based learning, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and further and higher education courses.

Research

A list of recent research publications which is intended to be a starting for those wishing for more detail on the sector.

Discussion points

Thought-provoking and challenging questions to start discussions.

Sector summary: early years education, childcare and playwork

This summary gives a brief overview of the key trends in the sector.

Links and sources

This contains direct links to all the materials used to compile this sector. More in-depth and detailed information can be found in the source materials as only key points have been extracted. In addition, websites and further sources which may be of interest have been included.