With early years settings under pressure to recruit and retain skilled practitioners, choosing the right apprenticeship programme is about more than finding a qualification, says Amanda Robertshaw, Strategic Client Partnership Manager, Childcare Apprenticeships at The Childcare Company…
For early years employers, recruiting the right people has become only part of the workforce challenge. The bigger question is how to develop those people once they join.
That matters because early years settings need practitioners who can do more than complete a qualification. They need people who understand child development, safeguarding, communication, inclusion and the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and who can apply that knowledge confidently in the workplace.
Apprenticeships have an important role to play in that process. Department for Education statistics show that there were an estimated 29,200 childcare apprentices in England in 2025, with around seven in 10 studying at Level 3.
At the same time, the number of staff delivering funded early education with a full and relevant Level 3 early years qualification increased to 164,900 in 2026. The numbers point towards a workforce that is increasingly reliant on structured training and development.
But not every Level 3 programme will give an employer or apprentice the same experience. So what should settings actually look for?
The biggest advantage of an apprenticeship is that learning does not happen in isolation.
An apprentice spends their time working in an early years setting while developing the knowledge and skills required for their occupation. That means the quality of the workplace learning matters just as much as the content of the training programme.
A strong Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship should help practitioners connect what they learn with what they do every day. That might mean understanding how children develop, applying theories of learning and development, supporting communication and language, managing transitions, creating effective learning environments or carrying out observations and assessments.
The theory matters. But so does knowing how to use it when working with children.
Safeguarding cannot be treated as a box to tick during an apprenticeship. Early Years Educators work with young children who depend on adults to recognise concerns, maintain safe environments and respond appropriately when something does not seem right.
The Early Years Educator occupational standard includes responsibilities around safeguarding, health and safety, risk management, child wellbeing, professional relationships and supporting children’s development. These should therefore be central to the training rather than topics that appear briefly before an assessment.
For employers, this is one of the areas where a good apprenticeship can add real value. The apprentice is learning the principles while working in an environment where those principles have to be applied consistently.
It is easy for training to become focused on completing assignments and preparing for assessments. But an Early Years Educator needs a much deeper understanding of how children develop and learn. That includes areas such as communication and language, physical development, personal and social development, attachment, play, relationships and the individual needs of each child.
The current Early Years Educator standard is built around this wider knowledge and the ability to apply it in practice. For employers considering an apprenticeship, it is worth asking a simple question: Will this programme make the practitioner better at understanding the children in front of them? If the answer is yes, the qualification becomes much more than a certificate.
Early years settings work with children with different backgrounds, abilities, communication styles and support needs. Practitioners therefore need to understand how to create inclusive environments and adapt their practice to individual children.
The Early Years Educator standard includes responsibilities around additional needs, equality, diversity and inclusion. That makes these areas particularly important when comparing apprenticeship programmes.
Employers should look beyond the qualification title and examine what learners will actually study. A programme that gives practitioners opportunities to explore inclusion, SEND and different approaches to supporting children can help prepare them for the reality of working in a modern early years setting.
There is another part of apprenticeship quality that can be overlooked: the support surrounding the learner. An apprentice may be developing professional skills for the first time while also learning how to balance workplace responsibilities, formal study and assessment requirements.
They need clear expectations. They need feedback. And they need someone who can identify when they are struggling before a small problem becomes a major one.
For employers, this means looking at how the training provider communicates with the setting as well as how it supports the apprentice.
Regular progress reviews, development coaching and clear communication between the provider and employer can make a significant difference to the overall experience.
An apprenticeship is not simply a way of getting an employee qualified while they work their normal hours. Off-the-job training is an important part of the programme.
The apprentice needs protected time to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship standard. That needs to be planned around the realities of the setting.
A nursery manager considering an apprenticeship should therefore ask how the training is delivered, when the learner will complete it and how progress is monitored.
The practical arrangements can have a major impact on whether an apprentice gets the full benefit from the programme.
A Level 3 apprenticeship does not have to be the end of someone’s development. For many practitioners, it can be the beginning of a longer career pathway.
The Early Years Educator standard provides a foundation for working across early years settings, while experienced practitioners can go on to take greater responsibility and pursue further qualifications. That makes progression worth considering when choosing a training provider.
An employer may initially need a Level 3 practitioner. Five years later, that same person could potentially be a room leader, mentor or manager. A training strategy that recognises that longer journey can be more valuable than one focused solely on the immediate qualification.
There is no shortage of training options available to early years employers. The important question is not simply whether a provider offers a Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship. It is how that programme prepares someone for the reality of working with young children.
Employers should look at the curriculum, workplace support, assessment process, safeguarding content, approach to SEND and inclusion, off-the-job training and progression opportunities. They should also consider whether the provider understands the pressures facing early years settings.
The strongest apprenticeship programmes need to work for three groups at once: the learner, the employer and, ultimately, the children being cared for.
For employers exploring the options, a Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship provides a structured route combining workplace learning with training covering areas including safeguarding, child development, the EYFS, observation and assessment, inclusion and professional practice.
The qualification matters. But the quality of the learning experience matters just as much.
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