Kids 1st Day Nurseries, which was the winner of this year's Nursery World Nursery Chain of the Year award, says that its robust recruitment and training policies stand it in good stead when it comes to appointing staff who are going to make a long-term, positive contribution to the organisation.
Allison Winship, head of childcare, says that Kids 1st has a standard application form and that everyone goes through the same process, underpinned by equal opportunities.
'We have a set criteria. Nursery nurses will be expected to have a Level 3 with current daycare experience, and we look at their specific experience and gauge how relevant it is to the job on offer,' she says. 'I find that the quality of the application often says a lot about the individual. If a person has taken the trouble to submit a covering letter and researched our company, that is good. One of our questions is always - what do you know about Kids 1st?
'We try to make the interview process as relaxed as possible. It is usually with myself and the nursery manager. Candidates need to feel comfortable in order to give their best and provide us with a real picture of their approach and abilities. From our side of the fence, we need to feel confident that someone can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.'
Quite often candidates are asked to give a presentation. 'For example, they might be asked to present on how they see their role as a nursery nurse impacting on the quality of the nursery's provision,' Ms Winship says.
Kids 1st has a policy of promoting from within. 'Who can be better than your own staff, who have an established track record?' says Ms Winship.
Level 2 staff are supported as they progress to Level 3 and there is ongoing mandatory training in areas such as food, hygiene, first aid and safeguarding. The company will also help with accessing funding for higher-level study. Ms Winship says that she values a consistent approach on the part of individuals to building their job roles and skills.
'It is key to earmark and identify people's strengths,' she says. 'We had one practitioner who applied for a senior position. While we felt this position wasn't right for her, what came across in the interview was that she was passionate about physical development and was well qualified in this area. We decided to create the role of physical and activities co-ordinator just for her, which is an add-on to her nursery nurse role. If this proves successful, we create the role across all of our nurseries.'
Staff turnover is low at Kids 1st, and this must be a testimony to the fact that employees enjoy working there.
'It has a lot to do with getting recruitment right from the start,' says Ms Winship, 'and then allowing those individuals to progress.'
