At a reception in the House of Commons for the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE), Baroness Ashton focused on opportunities for those who want to work in the sector to gain qualifications and advance their careers.
'For the first time there are clear comprehensive routes that allow people to move upwards, sideways and into related fields,' she said. 'So far there are 15 qualifications on the framework, with more to come.'
She said the Government wanted to develop opportunities for early years staff to gain qualified teacher status. It also wished to develop the role of senior practitioner for those who preferred to continue working with children rather than move into management.
CACHE chief executive Richard Dorrance said he was waiting to hear the response to the CACHEbid to become the sector skills council for early years next spring, when the early years national training organisation and all other NTOs are disbanded (News, 1 November). If CACHE is unsuccessful, the early years could be covered within another sector skills council, such as local government or care, or become the responsibility of the Sector Skills Development Agency.
Mr Dorrance added that, with the expansion of university education, there was a 'real risk' of major recruitment problems in the childcare sector in two to three years' time.
