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Key Proposals
My long-term ambition is for all centres to be led by early years and childcare leaders who are qualified (including through a professional development route) at SCQF level 9 (ordinary degree or work-based equivalent).
- I expect work to construct an integrated qualifications and professional development framework to start in September 2006 and to be completed by September 2007.
- I expect programmes offering the new qualifications and professional development for leaders to be in place by September 2008.
- I expect programmes offering new qualifications and professional development for those entering and progressing through the workforce to be in place by September 2009.
- I expect a toolkit which supports understanding of progression routes for early years and childcare workers to be in place by September 2009.
- I expect the workforce to be considered as a highly regarded, high quality, highly qualified sector with workers earnings reflecting the quality of qualifications.
- I expect local authorities to offer increased flexibility in delivering early years and childcare services.
To assist private and voluntary sector providers of pre-school education to recruit and retain qualified staff:
- From this year, I will invest an additional £5m p.a. in pre-school education to fund an increase in the "advisory floor" used to inform local authority decisions about the cost of providing pre-school places.
- In the longer term I intend to move towards a position where all centres providing quality services are funded on a similar basis.
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