Collaborate to raise the sector’s profile is the message from the Childcare Expo’s Recruitment and Retention panel

Collaborate to raise the sector’s profile is the message from the Childcare Expo’s Recruitment and Retention panel

Many in the childcare sector believe they are facing a staffing crisis. Childcare professionals are leaving faster than they are joining and this is not sustainable in the long term. At the Childcare Expo North this year, childcare professionals shared their views as to what can be done to turn the tide. Throughout the discussion, the panellists returned to particular themes. Listen to your staff. Use the resources available, and above all, collaborate as a sector.

The panellists each brought their own point of view. Purnima Tanuku OBE from the NDNA set the scene, outlining the challenges facing the sector and previewed the NDNA’s upcoming ‘First Five Years Count’ campaign to improve policy at a governmental level. However, she made it clear that the panel’s intention was to see what could be done immediately to improve the situation, rather than relying solely on long term policy changes.

Brett Wigdortz from Tiney then began the discussion by emphasising the importance of thinking creatively about business models and how they can reflect why people go into childcare in the first place. Kelly Hill from Early Years Leadership built on this by making the point that childcare professionals need to be empowered to do the jobs they want to do. Dan Weir from Morton Michel developed the point further by discussing the tools available to achieve this.

The Panel then opened the discussion up to the floor, taking suggestions from the audience of childcare professionals as to how they are tackling recruitment. Amongst many interesting suggestions, one stand-out idea was to collaborate closely with sixth forms, offering flexible part time placements to students. Not only would this boost that setting’s own recruitment pool, if more providers undertook such a scheme, all would benefit from the increased profile of the sector.

Most people in childcare love their jobs, even with all the challenges the sector faces. To solve the recruitment crisis in the long term, policy changes may be needed, however, it is nonetheless clear that childcare providers are already doing more to ensure people see childcare as the amazing career it can be.

You can find out more about the NDNA’s First Five Years Count campaign here: http://www.ndna.org.uk/firstfiveyearscount