Qualifications matter, especially when you're talking about a duty of care. If I have fully qualified staff that's a very good selling point.”
Inez Murray is the manager of the Four Seasons Nursery, a privately-owned day care facility based in Glasgow city centre. She believes in staff training.
As many as 70 children, aged from three months to five years, can be accommodated within the nursery.
Inez is well aware of the need for her 25 members of staff to be trained to the highest standards to cope with the children’s needs, and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Early Years Care and Education have been introduced into the workplace.
Inez uses a variety of training routes for her staff, all tailored to the individual. Some employees arrive already qualified, in which case external courses will be arranged to enhance their experience. School leavers, without a suitable qualification, are directed onto the Skillseekers programme, covering SVQ level 2, or fast tracked to level 3 with a Modern Apprenticeship.
Inez is keen to emphasize her philosophy behind taking on Skillseekers: “This is terribly important to me,” she explains. “I don't have young people on board for cheap labour. It's really to train them to the high standards I expect because I want to keep them.”
Two training providers guide the staff through the SVQs - Clydebank College and Carousel Training. All training is effectively provided free of charge, because these organisations can access funding from the Local Enterprise Company. Due to the hands-on nature of the work, it can be difficult for employees to find the time to study during the day, so much of the collation of evidence needs to be completed either while the children sleep, or in the trainees' own time.
Inez says: “One of the problems with being an employer in an early years setting is there is a distinct lack of good, qualified staff. I found out about SVQs and I set off right away. From there I have two staff qualified already.”
Another important aspect for Inez is that the SVQ, in conjunction with workplace training, trains her staff to the standard she requires, with the additional bonus that “the training element is free.”
With the help of SVQs, Inez continues to fulfill what she sees as her responsibilities, “I have a duty of care in this establishment for every child, but I personally feel I also have a duty of care for every employee.”