Northampton residents offered free early years training

More than 100 people in the town have the chance to take part in the three-week Skills Bootcamp programme at The University of Northampton Innovation Centre on Green Street, starting on Monday (March 4).

Northampton was selected as one of four locations for the training course as the town was identified as having a particular demand for new recruits to the sector.

There is a desperate need to attract new people into early years nationwide after the Government announced an expansion to funded hours for childcare. From next month, working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare.

The course is being delivered by leading training provider Realise.

The Skills Bootcamps are funded by the Department for Education and are open to anyone aged over 19. They are free of charge to anybody not currently employed in early years.

Individuals who complete the Bootcamp will be guaranteed an interview for a job with a local nursery and will automatically be eligible to begin a Level 3 apprenticeship when they secure employment.

Realise is aiming to recruit 650 people to the short courses over 18 months. The programmes are being delivered in person in Northampton, Slough, Liverpool and Kent, while online delivery is available across the rest of England.

Karen Derbyshire, Operations Director for Early Years at Realise, said: “With the number of children eligible for free childcare set to grow substantially in the next 18 months, it’s more important than ever to not only attract new people to the industry but to get them qualified as quickly as possible, while ensuring they go through appropriate training.

“We have selected Northampton as one of our main locations for training delivery because we know that it’s an area with a high demand for new recruits to the sector.

“The Skills Bootcamp is a real opportunity for people who are currently unemployed, in another job but looking for a new career or people who have worked in early years previously and are now looking to return to the sector.

“For the learner, it is the chance to take the first steps to forging a new career and for nursery settings, it’s an opportunity to add another Level 2 qualified team member to their ranks once they are considered competent by the nursery manager.”

For those applying to join the Bootcamp in areas of the UK outside the four hubs, the Bootcamp will be delivered online over a period of six weeks.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Skills Bootcamp should e-mail Karen at [email protected]

As well as securing a guaranteed interview, those completing the Skills Bootcamp will also have access to career coaches while the process of receiving enhanced DBS checks will begin during the training.

The Skills Bootcamp can be accessed by those working in early years who have not yet secured a Level 2 apprenticeship, although the employer must contribute 10% of the costs if it’s an SME or 30 per cent for large operators.

Children's Minister David Johnston said the Bootcamp will help to get people “job ready”.

Realise currently has 1,850 active early years apprentices across more than 1,000 employers in the UK.