Level 3 qualified nursery workers down by a third

The number of nursery workers qualified to Level 3 has hit crisis point after dropping 37 per cent in the last four years, according to a new report by the National Day Nurseries Association. The latest early years workforce survey carried out by the NDNA reveals just 52 per cent of staff have Level 3 as their highest qualification. This has plummeted from 83 per cent of nursery workers surveyed by the NDNA in 2015. Level 3-qualified workers are needed in nursery settings as they count in statutory staff:child ratios and allow nursery workers to progress to more senior positions such as room leaders. The accompanying report says the proportion of the early years workforce qualified at this level has reduced at “an alarming rate” in the past four years. Read more.