When it comes to training in early years childcare, all the trends are going the wrong way. The National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has warned that the proportion of staff awarded level 3 or above has fallen to levels which threaten quality of care provision, and have further warned that childcare workers are moving into retail in droves – because it’s better paid and retail workers have fewer responsibilities. This all comes at a time when nurseries as a whole are cutting back on everything but essential training.
Employers that make investing in their employees with high quality training a priority, instead of the first thing to be cut when problems arise, are more likely to retain staff, and those staff deliver higher quality care. That’s why investing in training can be the difference between delivering care that ticks a statutory box and delivering care that is outstanding every day.
Nevertheless, nurseries are reluctant to pay for staff training, which is understandable. The pressures are real, with nursery settings having to deal with minimum and national living wages that are rising above inflation, as well as having to provide childcare to three and four year olds at a government-set price. Despite this, childcare settings that want to deliver outstanding care must find a way to invest in their workforce with high quality training.
From day one Avail Learning Academy has provided high quality and, crucially, affordable courses geared towards early years practitioners. Written and endorsed by industry experts who know the sector inside and out, our courses make a meaningful impact on the way carers care.
But it’s no good designing outstanding courses if the sector they’re aimed at can’t afford to use them. That’s why Avail takes a different approach. We’ve priced our courses at just £25, with deep discounts if you buy more for your setting. We hope that by doing so, as many practitioners as possible can benefit from the expertise we’ve brought together here at Avail.
To learn more about the courses Avail Learning Academy offers, click here.
