Childcare Management Company (CMC) has secured Youth in Partnership World (YIP) as its partner for a new project addressing the extremely low number of male workers in the childcare sector.
A recent survey of Scottish nurseries revealed 100 per cent of managers feel children benefit from strong male role models and has led Greenock based company CMC to start the project, All About Men, to encourage young men to consider childcare as a career.
The project will reach men aged between 16 and 19 in the East Ayrshire area leaving school and encourage them to take part in apprenticeship training and a 12 month SVQ Level 3 in Social Services (Children and Young People) to give them skills needed to enter the childcare sector.
Mariessa Devlin, managing director of Childcare Management Company says; “We are delighted to form this partnership with YIP and offer a real alternative career option to young men.
“The fact that everyone involved in Early Learning and Childcare agrees that children benefit from a strong male role model comes as no surprise, particularly when some young children have limited access to men in their life.
“Many early years providers and managers also see other potential advantages in employing more male members of staff as there is a view that not only is this something which families want, there is also a strong feeling that an increase in the number of male staff would give their establishments an edge over local competitors, who decide to keep their workforce exclusively female.”
Only two per cent of the current UK childcare workforce are currently male, and the new initiative has been launched to coincide with Skills Development Scotland’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week (19-23 May) which is encouraging more young people to consider careers in over 25 different industry sectors.
Janice Hendry of Youth in Partnership World said: “It is widely recognised that children and young people benefit from male role models and this is the perfect opportunity to monitor and evaluate this area of research as well as create employment opportunities.
“Childcare Management Company is currently providing SVQ assessment level 5 to four young women employed by yipworld and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the gender imbalance in the sector and within our organisation.
“As such, we wholeheartedly endorse this innovative Early Learning and Childcare – ‘All About Men’ Programme and look forward to assisting participants achieve qualifications recognised by the care sector.”