Recruitment agencies and nursery groups have raised concerns about significant numbers of early years job applicants who have undertaken online childcare courses and mistakenly believe they have full and relevant Level 3 qualifications.
Kate Mundle, director of Purple Dove Recruitment, said the company had seen a recent rise in the number of people who have completed online distance learning courses and assume they hold a Level 3 qualification that gives them a licence to practice.
One nursery group director said she would never consider applicants with these qualifications for employment.
A search by Nursery World revealed a variety of childcare courses available, including the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Award in Childcare and Education, the Nursery Nurse Diploma, and Child Care Level 3. Unlike the full and relevant Level 3 Early Years Educator qualifications, these courses are ‘knowledge-based’ and do not require any practical work experience or GCSEs/functional skills.
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