Liverpool City Region unveils plans to tackle childcare worker shortage

Mayor Steve Rotheram has launched a detailed masterplan to help tackle a national shortage of Early Years education and childcare workers.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has unveiled a series of initiatives designed to ramp up training, recruitment and retention of staff in the Early Years sector, helping more families to access affordable, high-quality childcare and making it easier for parents to work.

Among the actions, the Combined Authority has allocated £470,000 to create 150 places in the Liverpool City Region on new Skills Bootcamps for childcare, co-developed by the sector and run by the Education Development Trust and Aspire Academy. A further 40 existing staff will be retrained.

The detailed measures, developed in partnership with local authorities, colleges, training providers and the sector, are designed to help alleviate a national shortfall of 45,000 practitioners. The lack of affordable and accessible, unaffordable childcare is estimated to be costing the UK economy £27bn each year.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

“We know that access to affordable, high-quality childcare is essential for any thriving community, and a game-changer for parents looking to return to work. However, far too often that access simply isn’t there.

“The national shortage of early years educators is not only a drain on our economy, but also a daily challenge for families.

“By investing in skills bootcamps, and creating 150 new training places, we are tackling this issue and laying the foundations for long-term growth in this vital sector. We’re helping people start new careers, upskilling existing staff and ensuring families get the support they need to thrive.”

The Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) calculates that inaccessible and unaffordable childcare costs the UK economy £27bn a year. Research shows that an estimated 1.5 million mothers would take on more working hours if better childcare was available.

The Combined Authority (CA) has been working with the CPP, through the Inclusive Growth Network, to develop a new, data-driven approach to improving childcare provision through collaboration and reallocation of skills funding.

As part of efforts to drive growth and equity across the region, the CA has harnessed devolved powers and expertise in skills and employability to support recruitment, retention and professional development in the Early Years workforce, bringing together local authorities, childcare providers and national government bodies to drive improvements.

A series of measures has been developed to help train and recruit hundreds more practitioners each year.

In collaboration with the Department of Work and Pensions, five new Early Years Education and Childcare Employment Officers have been recruited to help job seekers into new careers in the sector.

The LCR Be More careers hub has also launched a dedicated Early Years page and is promoting vacancies and training opportunities.

Following the success of a pioneering Test and Learn initiative, led by Realise Training, a new “bridging solution” is being developed to help people gain the skills needed to take a level 3 course in Early Years.

A sector-based work pilot scheme has been developed in the Liverpool City Region to help identify new Early Years workers and former practitioners keen to return to the sector. The scheme has now been rolled out nationally.

Unused training funds from the Apprenticeship Levy totalling £398,000 have also been repurposed to create 65 new apprenticeships in Early Years childcare provision.

A project under development with national training provider Realise and Kids Planet is trying to attract more young people via T-levels and apprenticeships.

Other initiatives include using local champions to increase male participation in Early Years education and childcare – including profiling local male leaders within the new Be More Early Years website – and partnering with the Department for Work and Pensions to equip job coaches with the tools to guide job seekers into the childcare sector.