Calls to relax the requirement for all childcare staff in Ireland to be qualified have been met with criticism from the sector.
Nursery World reported earlier this month that Seas Suas, an organisation of independent childcare providers in Ireland, was calling for the requirement to be relaxed to 75 per cent qualified staff in a setting in order to help alleviate the ‘recruitment crisis’. This would be pending the introduction of a national apprenticeship scheme, it said.
However, other organisations and childcare professionals in Ireland have spoken out against the recommendation, saying it is not representative of the entire sector’s view.
As of 31 December 2016, all staff working directly with children in Ireland must hold a minimum of a QQI Level 5 Major Award in Early Childhood Care & Education – equivalent to an NVQ Level 3.
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