New UK-wide study of early years workforce policy

Date: 10th February 2025
Category: General measures of implementation, General principles, Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities

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Early Education is partnering with colleagues at five UK universities to understand policy issues around the early years workforce in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The project will share learning and make policy recommendations for the future.

The project aims to inform early years workforce (EYW) policy development across the UK. It involves a comparative analysis of EYW recent policy in four UK jurisdictions.  It will:

• Consider policy approaches of each jurisdiction,
• Identify examples of government policy or action which have supported increased EYW capacity and/or qualification levels and,
• Examine EYW strategies or interventions outside the UK that have successfully increased workforce capacity and/or qualification levels.

The study will involve interviews with key stakeholders, expert interviews, focus groups and developing exemplar case studies. The final report will identify learning and make policy recommendations for progress.

• Click here to find out more about the study.