The likely delay comes after further education providers and awarding bodies raised concerns that the proposed Level 3 Children and Young People's Workforce Diploma does not contain enough guided learning hours to enable students to continue on to higher education without additional study.
From September, colleges will introduce at least three pathways for the new level 3 qualification, which is meant to replace all other level 3 childcare qualifications (Analysis, 29 April 2009).
One pathway will be aimed at students who are in full-time employment, a second will be for those who want part-time education, and a third will be for those who opt for full-time education.
If the move is approved, colleges could choose to delay the introduction of the full-time pathway until 2011 and could continue offering the CACHE and Edexcel diplomas for students who begin the course before the end of December.
A source told Nursery World, 'The CWDC is walking into an argument over the size of the qualification. The current CACHE and Edexcel diplomas in childcare are equivalent to three A levels. However, the CWDC's level 3 qualification consists of only 475 guided learning hours, which means that it could have a lower equivalence.
'Colleges will be very pleased that the existing diplomas look set to be extended until the end of 2010, because it gives everybody extra time to ensure that the CWDC diploma meets the needs of all those who want to study it.'
Teresa Stroud, head of curriculum for Health, Care, Early Years and Public Services at Aylesbury College in Buckinghamshire, highlighted her concerns about the new qualification in a document submitted to the Association of Colleges, which lobbied the CWDC on its proposals.
She wrote, 'The potential reduction or lack of UCAS points attached to Level 3 will hugely impact on our recruitment of learners who have ambitions to move on to higher education.
'It is very worrying to move from a widely respected level 3 vocational qualification with a recognised history of progression to higher education, to a new qualification with at present no progression at all.
'I strongly believe we need to train and develop an outstanding workforce to deliver quality experiences to children. I do not think rushing into new qualifications with little time to plan and market effectively will achieve this outcome.'
The CWDC is due to meet with representatives from awarding bodies this week as part of continuing discussions on the new level 3 qualification and its implications for university entry.
