The success rates of early years advanced NVQ apprentices are the worst in the work-based learning sector, according to a survey by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI).
A report by a team of ALIs inspectors, and published in ALIs Talisman newsletter this week, said that in 2005-06 more than two-thirds of candidates failed to gain their full framework award of NVQ 3, key skills and technical certificate.
It said, The success rates for early years apprenticeships make dismal reading and have done for the past three years: in 2005-06, for example, the success rate was just 30 per cent for advanced apprenticeships (NVQ 3) and 51 per cent for apprenticeships (NVQ 2).
Thirty-four per cent of candidates achieved apprenticeships in health and social care, which includes early years, in 2005-06 (see table).Margaret Swift, who led the ALI survey team, said greater numbers of candidates are gaining their basic NVQ awards 51 per cent at Level 3 and over 60 per cent at Level 2 in 2005-06.
But she said that they do not achieve the full framework and do not complete the key skills and technical certificate.
Numeracy has been the biggest problem for most learners, she added.
People are getting the NVQ, but not the whole framework, and are working as NVQ-qualified. Good employers wont do that, but some will.
These people have not got their key skills; they have not developed literacy and numeracy skills. Emma Phillips, managing director of nursery chain Child Base, said the lack of key skills in school leavers joining the early years workforce was a problem. But, she added, it is expecting quite a lot of people delivering NVQs to have to bridge the gap that eight or nine years of schooling has failed to deliver.
Early years consultant and former national director of the Foundation Stage Lesley Staggs said, The push for a well-trained workforce is one of the key issues in early years. It is bad enough that there are huge numbers of people in early years who need support in terms of additional training, but if we are bringing into the system people who are supposed to be well trained but arent, then we are never going to break this.
I am constantly arguing that we need a huge investment in money in the early years and we cannot afford to be wasting it.
The team identified weaknesses common to early years training providers judged as unsatisfactory failure to integrate key skills teaching with the NVQ programme, weak assessment practices and failure to communicate with employers.
The survey Early years: its not all childs play in ALIs Talisman supplement, issue 59, is available at www.ali.gov.uk. From 1 April, when ALI merges with Ofsted, it will be at www.ofsted.gov.uk.
ALI publications can be contacted on 0115 901 3339.
- See Nursery Management, A pretty pass, pp24-26.