Among the conclusions of a report commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills are 'Could do better' and 'Should try to be more imaginative', after it delved into the twin problems dogging the early years sector: recruitment and retention.
The study, by a team from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), argues that managers rely heavily on word-of- mouth when filling vacancies. So they tap into a diminishing workforce pool (generally young, white women), excluding those outside the early years network - men, older people, minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.
'Many young women who work in the sector have low educational qualifications. A reliance on this section of the labour force is problematic, because girls are achieving higher academic results and therefore have a wider range of career options than in the past,' says the report.
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