Staff retention, which is always an issue in the childcare sector, becomes even more of a struggle when finances are tight and there is little money to fund pay rises.
However, offering good quality training to promote continuing professional development helps motivate staff and assists retention.
'Places with good retention rates provide huge opportunities for training,' says Barbara Isaacs, academic director at Montessori Centre International.
She emphasises that courses relating to child development and observation prove particularly popular with practitioners.
'People find these courses really interesting because they gain a deeper insight into their practice. We launched foundation degrees last September and while people are finding the course to be quite tough, they say it is rewarding because it is so interesting.'
Ms Isaacs adds, 'When money is going to be tight, salary increases will not be great, so if you can invest in high-quality training, hopefully you will be able to retain staff.'
Kate Stock, managing director of Smart Training, questions the quality of some of the short CPD courses available and advises managers to seek testimonials from previous delegates before assigning staff to a course.
'You can motivate your staff through training, but you hear stories of people going on poor quality training,' she says. 'It is important for nurseries to check the calibre of the courses to which they are sending their staff. Even if the course is put on for you for free, you should ask yourself whether it is worth sending someone to it.'
At Hempsall's Consultancies, training manager Kate Sparling says training is now very targeted. This is because managers are more attuned to areas of professional development that need to be addressed, and because budgets are limited.
'Employers in the sector are looking at research findings and looking at how they can improve outcomes for children,' says Ms Sparling.
'The EYFS has had a huge impact on training around areas such as planning. Previously, planning could be what I refer to as the Blue Peter approach: here is one I made earlier, and all the children have to undertake the same activity whether they are interested or not.'
Ms Sparling adds, 'There is now huge emphasis on the individual child and enabling environments to support learning and development, the emotional environment and the focus on physical play. You can find high-quality, expensive equipment, but how the child is supported by the practitioners makes the difference.'
Many nurseries have grown their own Early Years Professionals by supporting staff studying through money from the Graduate Leader Fund. Hempsall's provides training to help EYP candidates take on the lead practitioner role.
'We are supporting EYP forums and addressing the leadership and management aspect of becoming an EYP,' says Ms Sparling. 'There is funding still available, but local authority budgets are being cut and they are using the GLF monies to support general CPD training.'
Smart Training's Kate Stock says the drive to encourage staff to take foundation degrees means sometimes people gain a higher level qualification but lack management skills. 'We have worked with nursery chains where we have found that staff get foundation degrees but lack the management skills to be promoted. We recommend that people take a management Level 3 qualification between their Children and Young People's Workforce Level 3 and foundation degree. Being promoted to a leadership role is not just about leading on the care and education of the children; it is about leading the staff.'
Ms Stock points out that funding for apprenticeship training is still available for 16- to 18-year-olds and for 19- to 25-year-olds, and there is still some funding available from local authorities. But for 25-plus age group, funding is being squeezed.
'Next year there will be places available for this group, but training providers and colleges will be able to charge top-up fees. These trainees are more valued in the workplace, as they have more life experience and the expectation is that employers will have to contribute to their training. There is still some Train to Gain funding, but it will be restricted next year.'
She adds, 'The best way to train your staff is to delegate. When funding gets tight, senior nursery staff are going to have to learn how to train and share information with their less experienced colleagues.'
Barbara Isaacs, academic director at Montessori Centre International
CASE STUDY: SETTING GOALS
Training Designs offers courses for childcare practitioners on both professional development and personal development. Every session is aimed at motivating staff.
'The common theme of all of our courses is to create a tailor-made course for the setting,' says Yvonne Batson-Wright, the company's founder and managing director. 'Because of this, staff find they get exactly what they need and can apply it to their work, which we feel, in turn, helps them to feel more confident and motivated as they feel "listened to" and their needs are being met.
'Our Personal Development courses focus on building confidence, setting goals and delegation/leadership skills, which give staff a chance to feel more valued. Our Team Building courses and Leadership courses examine the qualities of a good team, communication skills, creating a culture of teamwork and practical activities.
'The Building Confidence course helps practitioners to identify skills to boost their confidence, and the Team Building course is often requested, as every setting wants to work better as a team. This course really gives the team a chance to spend a day together to focus on their communication skills and create a more effective team, and work better with parents and children.'
One of the company's most popular courses is Managing Children's Behaviour, which looks into types of child behaviour, child development, and using goals and boundaries to manage behaviour, and developing strategies for effective behaviour.
