Doors open to childcare training

(Photograph) - A training centre dedicated to creating hundreds of childcare workers in London and the south-east of England has opened in Stratford, London. The East London Childcare Institute aims to create around 1,000 qualified childcare workers over the next five years by running childcare courses from introductory to degree level. It will also provide careers advice for existing childcare professionals and additional support for people wanting to set up a childcare business. The Institute has been given 4m by the London Development Agency, the Mayor's agency for jobs and business, to provide basic skills training for unemployed adults or those from low-income groups, particularly ethnic minorities. The centre also has a 57-place neighbourhood nursery on the site, so that children can receive high-quality, full-time day care while their parents learn new skills. There are also 120 part-time and after-school places for evenings and weekends. Figures show that an estimated 200,000 families in London cannot afford childcare because no adult in the household is working. Photo Joel Chant