Invest in Early Years Talent with Apprenticeships
Develop the next generation of early years professionals with apprenticeships that enhance skills, grow talent, and support career progression.
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Why Choose Early Years Apprenticeships?
As the demand for quality early years education grows, it’s crucial for businesses to build a skilled, motivated workforce. Apprenticeships offer a flexible, cost-effective way to train both new hires and existing employees, equipping them with the knowledge and experience to provide exceptional care and education for young children.
Upskill Your Current Early Years Staff
If you have employees already working in early years settings, apprenticeships provide a structured pathway to help them gain additional qualifications, such as the Level 2 Early Years Practitioner or Level 3 Early Years Educator. This ensures they are fully prepared to take on more responsibilities and grow within your organization.
Hire and Train New Early Years Professionals:
Looking to bring in new talent? Apprenticeships offer a direct route to recruit individuals eager to begin their careers in early years education, allowing you to train them in line with your setting’s ethos and standards from day one.
Early Years Practitioner
Level 2
Duration: Typically, 12 months (this does not include EPA period)
The broad purpose of the Early Years Practitioner is to work and interact directly with children on a day-to-day basis, supporting the planning and delivery of activities, purposeful play opportunities and educational programmes within the ethos of the setting. An Early Years Practitioner works as part of a professional team, ensuring the welfare and care of the children under the guidance and supervision of an Early Years Educator, teacher, or other suitably qualified professional in the early years workforce.
They will be responsible for supporting child-initiated and adult-led activities based around the needs and interests of each individual child, supporting children’s learning and working as part of a team to ensure each child feels safe and secure. An Early Years Practitioner will also support the observation and assessment of each child, and contribute to their learning experiences whilst assisting with the care needs of the individual child.
Assessment
The apprentice must achieve the following on-programme assessment requirements prior to Gateway:
Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Qualification
A completed Portfolio of Evidence
English and Maths at Level 1
Attempts at Level 2 English and Maths by sitting Functional Skills tests
Future Job Prospects & Learning Opportunities
As well as ensuring full competency as an Early Years Practitioner, this standard provides a foundation for potential progression on to a number of career paths in the educational sector including Early Years Educator, Teaching Assistant or Teacher.
Early Years Educator
Level 3
Duration: Typically, 18 months (this does not include EPA period)
The Early Years Educator qualification is suitable for those currently working in or wishing to work in Early Years Education & Care.
Early Years Educators, and other job roles such as Nursery Nurse and Childminders, are highly trained professionals who play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. They work in a range of settings including full day care, children’s centres, pre-schools, reception classes and as Childminders.
Assessment
The apprentice must achieve the following on-programme assessment requirements prior to Gateway:
Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification
Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) or Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF)
Level 2 English and Maths
Future Job Prospects & Learning Opportunities
Upon achievement of this qualification learners can progress into various job roles in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors such as:
Assistant in Children’s Centres
Practitioner in nursery schools
Practitioner in reception classes in primary schools
Pre-school worker
Manager of Early Years setting (with additional training)
If a learner wishes to continue to a higher qualification, they can progress to the Level 4 Certificate for the Early Years Advanced Practitioner.
Tailored Support for Early Years Employers
Our team provides comprehensive support to ensure your early years apprenticeship program is a success, whether you're developing your current staff or hiring new apprentices:
Early Years-Focused Training Needs Analysis: We’ll work with you to assess your setting’s specific needs and determine whether upskilling current staff or bringing in new apprentices is the best route for filling skills gaps.
Specialised Recruitment Support: If you’re hiring new apprentices, we’ll assist in recruiting candidates specifically for early years roles, advertising your vacancies, and screening applicants to find the best fit for your setting.
Comprehensive Administrative Support: From managing the paperwork to ensuring all training requirements are met, we take care of the logistics so you can focus on what matters, running your early years setting.
Ongoing Progress Monitoring: We regularly meet with you and your apprentices to ensure that their training is aligned with your objectives and that they are making strong progress in their qualification journey.
The Benefits
Develop Skilled Early Years Professionals
Apprenticeships enable your team to gain the knowledge and practical skills necessary to provide high-quality early years education. Whether you're investing in current employees or bringing in new talent, apprenticeships are a proven way to cultivate committed, qualified early years professionals.
Tailor Training to Your Setting’s Needs
Each early years apprenticeship can be customized to reflect the unique needs of your setting. This ensures that your employees are not only gaining nationally recognized qualifications but are also learning the specific skills required to thrive in your environment.
Improve Retention and Build Loyalty
Apprenticeships foster a sense of loyalty and job satisfaction. Employees feel invested in and motivated by the opportunity to learn and grow. With 90% of apprentices staying with their employer after completing their program, you’ll benefit from a more stable, long-term workforce.
Apprenticeship Funding
Your business can benefit from employing apprentices as they are real workers doing a real job. To get the best out of an apprentice, as with any employee, you need to invest time and effort into training. Using the apprenticeship route this can be fully funded with minimal or no cost to the company.
Apprenticeship Levy
This will only apply to employers with a pay bill in excess of £3million and will be charged at a rate of 0.05% of the employers pay bill. Each employer will have a levy allowance of £15,000 to spend on apprentice training. This is not a cash payment and cannot be used for any other training. To use this allowance please contact our team for details.
Non-Levy Paying Employers
If you are not eligible to pay the Apprenticeship Levy, then you will pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing an apprentice. This cost will be made directly to us as the training provider & the government will cover the rest of the cost (95%) up to the agreed funding band maximum. Anything above the funding band maximum will need to be covered by yourselves.
Small Employer Co-Investment Waiver
To support smaller businesses with fewer than 50 employees, the government will invest the full 100% of the cost of apprenticeship training to support 16-21 year olds and for those aged 19-24 formerly in care or with a local authority education, health and care plan.
Additional Payments
There will be an extra £1,000 funding available to both yourself and your training provider if your apprentice meets the following criteria:
Is 16-18 years old.
Is 19-24 years old and has previously been in care or who has a local authority education, health and care plan.
This will be paid in two equal instalments throughout the apprenticeship at 3 months and 12 months and will also apply to small businesses with the co-investment waivered.
Recruitment Service
We offer a free recruitment services to employers who would go on to train their apprentices with us. Get in touch with us about available Apprenticeship position(s) in your setting. We’ll then add your vacancy to the National Apprenticeship Website in addition to other Reach4Skills platforms to encourage a variety of applicants.
We will review applications and CVs to confirm each candidate’s eligibility for an apprenticeship, and then all suitable applicants will then be forwarded to employers to review and make the decision on the shortlist to follow up on.