Busy Bees owns and manages over 40 facilities nationally and employs more than 1,000 staff. We have formulated a human resource strategy and one of its aims is to increase awareness and raise the profile of childcare as a career.
During a recent project team meeting I was surprised to discover from some of our managers that childcare students have told them they have been actively discouraged from seeking employment in private day nurseries.
At a recent Jobs Fair we were disappointed not to see any students at the event despite sending details about it to local colleges. This tends to indicate that there may be a bias against private day nurseries and it would be interesting to hear from students whether this is the case.
As Patricia Slatcher's feature outlined, there are advantages and disadvantages in all types of childcare, and a job suitable for one student may not be right for another. I feel it would be unhealthy for the opinions of college lecturers to be imposed on students, who I feel should be allowed to make up their own minds about what's right for them after researching all the options.
Childcare is a great career choice. It has many different but equally rewarding aspects, and I feel everyone in the childcare sector should work together to help raise the profile of all aspects of childcare.
Clare Phizacklea, human resources director, Busy Bees
