The CWDC has stated that only 14 per cent of an estimated 100,000-strong nursery workforce are aged 29 and under - a finding that the director of one leading nursery chain described as 'bizarre'.
The statistics are included in an 'Occupation summary sheet' produced by the CWDC which also showed that 90 per cent of all nursery managers are qualified up to level 3, with 63 per cent of all nursery staff at this level.
According to the summary sheet, the age breakdown of the nursery workforce is as follows: 2 per cent between 16 and 19; 5 per cent between 20 and 24; 7 per cent between 24 and 29; 40 per cent between 30 and 39; 33 per cent between 40 and 49; and 13 per cent over 50.
But leading providers viewed these figures with scepticism. Clare Phizacklea, human resources director at the Busy Bees nursery chain, said that the average age of its staff was 29.6 years and that more than 52 per cent of its 1,700 nursery staff were under 25.
Paul Foster, managing director of Treetops private day nurseries in Derby, said that his chain had recently made efforts to recruit 'more mature'
staff to balance the recruitment of younger employees.
He said a PR campaign which his company ran two years ago resulted in the recruitment of a number of people who were 'childcarers by experience rather than by qualifications'.
He added, 'Talking to other operators and from our own experience, the suggestion that the number under 30 is around 14 per cent sounds a little surprising. Certainly our mix is not quite that skewed towards the more mature age group.'
Neil Taylor, director of the Wind in the Willows chain, based on Merseyside, said, 'From my experience I would have put the higher percentage among the 20-to-30 age group.'
Mr Taylor added that it would be beneficial to have older staff, who may have been through the experience of parenthood themselves and have had 'broader life experiences', but that 'they seem to be thin on the ground'.
He said that older staff do come for interviews at his nurseries but are often put off by the hourly rates on offer.
