Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps his Department has taken to develop of new early years training routes to support workforce development and retention in early years education and childcare.

As part of work to support recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department has announced up to £180 million in programmes to support workforce development, including increasing the number of places available for early years initial teacher training. Training for up to 5,000 special educational needs coordinators is also part of the development programmes

The department is also developing new early years training routes. Employer trailblazer groups have developed level 2 and 3 apprenticeships, and in August 2021, we launched a level 5 apprenticeship

Free level 3 early years qualifications are available through the Lifetime Skills Guarantee for adults without a level 3 or higher qualification. From April 2022, eligibility was expanded to include adults who are unemployed or earning below the National Living Wage annually, or £18,525, regardless of any other qualifications held.