How to resolve recruitment challenges in the Early Years sector

The Early Years sector has been facing recruitment challenges for several years, which has been exacerbated since the 2025 increase in free childcare hours. This welcome change provided relief for families who were struggling amidst the cost-of-living crisis, but caused additional strain on childcare settings leading for more pressure for the providers.

To support the sector, the government has made plans for recruiting an extra 35,000 staff members, however, a recent research suggest the recruitment for the Early Years sector has stalled.

Plans for developing a younger workforce

One of the key agenda points of the current government is to create more opportunities for young people. Recently, changes were announced for the apprenticeship system, to support young people entering the workforce. These changes include shorter apprenticeship options and an emphasis on professional training avenues to help close skills gaps and focus on areas with skills gaps and staff shortages, such as the Early Years sector.

Apprenticeships to improve setting quality

It is clear that a higher qualified workforce is likely to deliver better quality early years education and care, however, qualification levels across settings remain low. Apprenticeships are a great way to ensure setting staff are fully qualified as they can be used to recruit new staff as well as for upskilling existing staff.

By hiring apprentices, Early Years settings can resolve two issues in one: find new staff to meet the demand of childcare places, and ensure this new staff is qualified to raise the quality of education their provide.

Recruitment solutions for the Early Years Sector

In partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), Inspire ATA help recruit and employ apprentices on behalf of Early Years settings. We offer a range of roles to support educational settings gain qualified teaching and support staff.

Early Years Practitioner Level 2

Support your childcare setting with Early Years Practitioners (EYP). EYPs contribute to observation, assessment, and care tasks, working in partnership with parents and professionals.

Early Years Educator Level 3

Early Years Educators (EYE) have a deeper understanding of child development and learning, and they possess practical skills to support children’s holistic development.

If you are interested in learning how Inspire ATA can support your Early Years setting, book a discovery call with our team today.