Commenting on the publication of the Scottish Parliament's Education Committee's Early Years report (News, 15 June), Patricia Bradley, owner of the Bishopsbriggs Childcare Centre in East Dunbartonshire, said, 'We need an overhaul of the qualifications system and we need to get on with the early years workforce review consultation. In tandem, we need to look at how the private sector affords to pay professional salaries without the Treasury coming up with innovative plans.'
Mrs Bradley, who sat on the Executive workforce planning group for the early years review, said it had been almost a year since the group finished work. 'It was meant to be published at Christmas. But I think the reason it hasn't been published is because there is a national shortage of nursery nurses,' she said.
The Committee's report acknowledges that the Scottish Executive is shortly to publish the results of its review, which it 'hopes will address many of the workforce issues covered in the report'.
A spokesperson from the Executive said that it is hoping to publish the review by the end of the month. But he added, 'If it is not published by then we will consider whether we publish it over the recess.'
Meanwhile, in response to the early years report, Bronwen Cohen, chief executive of Children in Scotland, said, 'We are disappointed that the Parliament's call for upgrading staff qualifications is limited in its scope and restricted in the first instance to the most disadvantaged areas.'
