Apprentices are the future for Early Years

How to hire an Early Years apprentice

Attracting a diverse range of apprentices requires broad, strategic thinking about candidate profiles, advertising channels, and outreach methods. June believes that apprentices from varied backgrounds, like those who struggled in traditional education, care leavers, career changers, and mature students, bring dynamism to Early Years teams.

Where to find an apprentice:

• Social media
• Local adverts
• National apprenticeship websites
• Job fairs
• National Apprentices Week
• Apprentices you already have on your team can be your biggest advocates for attracting new candidates.

June explains that targeted language and platform choices matter, particularly when recruiting male apprentices, as research indicates they respond to different messaging and social media spaces than female candidates. Using inclusive language when describing apprentice roles (e.g. referring to staff as "early years teachers") and presenting apprenticeships as a genuine career pathway rather than a temporary step helps shift perceptions among parents, schools, and prospective candidates.

Developing an apprentice pipeline

Treating apprenticeships as a long-term strategic investment, rather than a short-term staffing solution, is essential for building a sustainable Early Years workforce. June encourages us to plan timelines carefully, track apprentice progress, and think broadly about apprentice roles beyond direct early years teaching, including chefs, administrators, and degree apprentices.

• June recommends running cohorts (e.g. male-only, mature student, or career-changer groups) and partnering with organisations such as colleges and local apprenticeship networks
• You could plan, organise, or lead open days with groups from local schools and colleges, to give young people a taste of a career in Early Years

Onboarding, support, and retention

A structured onboarding process and consistent support at every "touch point" (from attraction through to engagement and in-setting training) are critical to retaining apprentices.

Poor experiences at any stage, including overly long working hours, lack of a dedicated coach, or insufficient time for off-site training, are going to make your apprentices think twice about whether they really want to work in an Early Years setting.

Celebrating apprentice milestones throughout the apprenticeship, rather than only at completion, reinforces their value and encourages retention.

Key strategies to try:

• June advises assigning a designated childcare apprenticeship coach. This could be one of your current Early Years practitioners, but would ideally an ex-apprentice themselves. The coach means that your apprentices have a named advocate and support figure, which June says significantly improves retention outcomes.
• If you have the budget, you could offer to contribute to travel costs or provide laptops for written work. Apprentices may come to you straight after leaving school at 16, if they're working full-time with you on apprentice wages, finances could be a barrier.
• Set up groups for apprentices to support one another, such as online or via Whatsapp
• Backfilling training days helps remove barriers that cause apprentices to leave. If they're expected to work on their training days, they may not be able to focus fully on their learning and development.

Functional skills and qualification challenges

Maths and English functional skills at Level 2 represent the single biggest barrier to apprentice completion, and settings are advised to address these requirements as early as possible rather than leaving them to the last minute.

What are the rules around Level 2 English and maths?

• To be included in the staff:child ratios at level 3, staff who achieved their full and relevant level 3 or above qualification on or after 1 September 2014 must also hold a suitable level 2 English qualification
• Staff who have completed the experience-based route must also hold a suitable level 2 English qualification to be included in the ratios at level 3.
• Staff who achieved their full and relevant level 3 or above qualification on or after 1 September 2014 but who do not hold a suitable level 2 English qualification, may only be included in the staff:child ratios at level 2.
• Staff holding QTS, EYTS or EYPS do not need a separate level 2 English qualification to be included in the staff:child ratios at level 3 or level 6. This applies to staff who achieved their qualification before and after 1 September 2014.
• Setting managers appointed on or after 4 January 2024 must hold a suitable level 2 qualification in maths or must achieve one within two years of starting in the position.

Suitable level 2 Maths qualifications are:

• Functional skills qualification in maths at level 2;
• GCSE or International GCSE qualification in maths to at least grade 4 (or grade C);
• Key skills qualification in application of number at level 2;
• A Level or AS Level qualification in maths or pure maths and/or further maths to at least grade E;
• O Level qualification in maths to at least grade C;
• CSE grade 1 maths;
• Basic skills certificate L2 – certificate in adult numeracy.

Level 3 Early Years educator End Point Assessment

June believes that the endpoint assessment (EPA) is widely perceived as an additional stress rather than an integrated part of Early Years apprenticeships. There is active sector discussion about embedding it throughout the apprenticeship journey instead.

Pedagogical value and quality improvement

June believes that apprentices, being the most recently trained members of a team, bring fresh perspectives that challenge established practice. Apprentices, therefore, drive quality improvement through open-ended questioning and reflective observation.

Their position as relative newcomers means they notice inconsistencies in pedagogy that more experienced staff may overlook, making them active contributors to continuous improvement.