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Section 1: The Current Workforce
1.1 The early years and childcare workforce has expanded rapidly over recent years. In September 2005 there were 30,640 posts in pre-school and childcare centres in Scotland. 2 In addition there are approximately 6,000 childminders working in Scotland. Despite the decline in the birth rate, it seems likely that the demand for early years and childcare services will continue to increase in the coming years as the economy continues to expand and as the number of women in paid employment increases.
1.2 The largest employer of early years and childcare staff is the local authority sector, which accounts for 40% of the workforce. The private sector employs 34% of the workforce and the voluntary sector 23%. It is the voluntary and private sectors that have seen the expansion in staffing in recent years.
1.3 The characteristics of the workforce are distinctive. Virtually all workers (98%) providing childcare and pre-school education are women. This compares to women making up 81% of the wider social services workforce in Scotland and almost half of the total workforce. The workforce is also significantly younger than other sectors in Scotland - 1 in 4 of Scotland's workers are aged 50 and above, compared to just 1 in 7 childcare workers.
1.4 There is also a high incidence of part-time working in the sector with approx 51% of the workforce employed part-time, compared to 24% in the Scottish workforce as a whole.
1.5 The workforce will begin to register with the Scottish Social Services Council ( SSSC) in 2006. This is part of the drive to raise standards and strengthen the professionalism of the social services workforce, to ensure the people who use services can rely on a workforce that is appropriately trained and qualified. To be registered, workers will have to hold or be working towards a relevant qualification. Childminders are individually registered with and inspected by the Care Commission, not with the SSSC.
1.6 The level of qualification in the sector is increasing. Approx 59% of staff hold childcare qualifications at the equivalent of SVQ level 3 ( SCQF level 6) or above, the level required to register as a practitioner with the SSSC. A further 21% have qualifications below this level. However, 16% of staff still have no formal childcare qualifications, but 51% of this group are working towards attaining one. Of the staff working in local authority centres 58% have qualifications at SVQ level 3 or above, privately run centres (56%) and voluntary run centres (57%).
1.7 However, the level of qualification in non-childcare subjects is very low, and 44% of the workforce holds no other qualification. This indicates that recruits to the early years and childcare workforce tend to hold few qualifications. It also illustrates the success of the sector in raising skill levels through training and qualifications.
1.8 So, the picture of the current workforce is mixed, but is one that is overwhelmingly female, often part-time, with more younger people than average, with a relatively narrow base of non-occupational qualification but an increasing level of occupational qualification.
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