#2/2026 - Tuesday 21 April 2026
This weeks newsletter includes:
- Bursaries for Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years sector
- Help us inspire the next generation of early years educators
- Newly Qualified Starters Programme - save £128
- Apprentices and off-the-job training
- Apprenticeship training providers
- Jobs in early years and childcare bulletin
- Early Years and Childcare Workforce events
- Early Years and Childcare Workforce Review
- Early Years Training
Difficulty viewing this bulletin? Click here to view in your browser.
In Workforce newsletter 1/2026, we informed you of our plan to create a bursary scheme to help fund staff or volunteers who meet the eligibility criteria for the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector (Early Years Educator) at Chichester College. We have received a good level of interest and are now at the stage of signing up those who expressed an interest.
We are opening places up to the sector again and you can now apply directly on our Bursaries for Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector web page. We encourage you to sign up as soon as possible if you are interested in supporting a member of your team to gain a full and relevant Level 3 qualification. Bursaries will be awarded on a first come first served basis.
The twilight sessions at Chichester College will run once every 6 weeks, on a Thursday, from 4.15pm and 7.15pm. There will be a total of 10 taught sessions as well as blended online learning and workplace one-to-ones. The frequency and timing of these will be flexible and based on individual learner needs and employer schedules.
Crawley College NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for the Early Years Workforce
If you are unable to get to Chichester College, you could consider the NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for the Early Years Workforce Diploma being offered at Crawley College. The next cohort will start in September 2026. This 18 month course is open to learners aged 19 and over who are working or volunteering in an early years setting. It is fully funded for those eligible for 19+ funding. The provisional teaching day is Tuesday evenings from 6.00pm to 9.00pm. For more information please visit Crawley College website.
The Family Information Service has launched a new video to support recruitment and retention in the early years sector across West Sussex.
'Do you want to be an early years education and childcare influencer?' features passionate practitioners from a range of settings, sharing what led them to work in early years, what they love about their roles, and the impact they make every day. This is a career that helps give every child the best start in life.
This video is designed to inspire jobseekers and career changers to consider a career in early years education and childcare. It is a great resource for settings to use when promoting vacancies or encouraging others to explore the sector.
Please share the video with your wider network, whether through social media or conversations with potential recruits. The video is available on the Family Information Service Facebook page and can also be viewed directly on YouTube.
Thank you for your continued support in helping to grow a strong, passionate workforce and ensuring every child in West Sussex has access to high-quality early years education.
If you have recruited someone who was newly qualified in the last 9 months, they may be eligible for the Newly Qualified Starters Support Programme.
The programme provides subsidised support to help new starters gain confidence in their role. Managers can apply on behalf of staff who meet all of the following criteria:
- have completed a level 2, level 3 or level 6 qualification
- have not previously worked in an early years and childcare setting
If you are recruiting and are considering newly qualified candidates, this programme can help you provide the right support from the start. The application form is available on our Newly Qualified Starters Support Programme web page. The full details of the training offer can be found in the Early Years Education: Newly Qualified Starters Programme. Your new starter will receive:
- paediatric first aid training
- safeguarding and child protection workshop
- supporting children with special education needs or disabilities
- one workshop per term from the NQS Training Brochure
- one online group support session per term
If your staff member has up to date paediatric first aid training and/or West Sussex County Council safeguarding, an alternative workshop(s) will be offered.
The programme lasts for one year from the date of registration and the cost to join is £35, saving you £128. Your newly qualified starter will get access to our advisors for online support and guidance once a term. You can tell us what your newly qualified starter needs and we can tailor the online support to them.
Do you have apprentices and are you clear about off-the-job training regulations? As apprenticeship funding rules change each year, it can feel challenging to keep up with the requirements.
To help with this, we have created a checklist to help you understand what the apprenticeship funding rules require of you as an employer when providing off-the-job training.
In our early years and childcare workforce review, we asked respondents to name apprenticeship training providers they would use again.
We have collated some of these to help you get started when looking at choosing an apprenticeship training provider. Please note, the West Sussex County Council Early Years Training team do not endorse any of these training providers.
This list provides details of training providers that managers in West Sussex early years settings have used and have stated they would use again. It is intended as a list that highlights some of the training providers being used in West Sussex and is not a definitive list. You can find all of the early years apprenticeship training providers using the Government’s employers find apprenticeship training service web page.
Our subscription list has grown by 495% since the first bulletin was sent on 17 March 2025. Over 250 people have signed up to receive new job opportunities by email each week. If you have job vacancies, advertise them for free by completing the template on our advertise your early years and childcare jobs web page. If your job is in the bulletin, we will advertise it at recruitment events we go to.
If you are not using the bulletin to advertise your vacancies, please email JobsinEYC@westsussex.gov.uk and let us know why. We are continually looking at ways to improve the process, to enable you to feel confident in using this free resource
We are continuing to work hard to increase interest in the early years sector and to promote your job vacancies in as many spaces as possible.
In the spring term, we have represented you at 11 events, including 2 Early Years and Childcare Job Fairs we ran in partnership with our local Job Centre Plus (JCP) teams in Chichester and Worthing. We have reached 129 job seekers and updated 114 JCP work coaches on routes into the sector, including becoming a childminder.
If there are recruitment events that you would like to attend but do not have the capacity, please let us know by emailing eycworkforce@westsussex.gov.uk. We may be able to attend and represent the sector (and your job vacancies) for you.
The March 2026 Early Years and Childcare Workforce Review has now closed. Thank you to those that completed the review. Your feedback will help shape how we support the sector with recruitment and retention in West Sussex. We will be analysing the data shortly and will share the findings with you in the autumn term Workforce newsletter. In that newsletter we will also share a link to the next review.
3 prize winners have won themselves a free place on ‘Safer Recruitment Essentials’, an online workshop from Coram Hempsalls, and a copy of Kate Moxley's book, ‘A Guide to Mental Health for Early Years Educators: Putting Wellbeing at the Heart of Your Philosophy and Practice’.
Childcare workforce supply, recruitment and retention have been identified as key challenges for settings across the country.
We have two courses to support you with recruitment, including how to recruit safely, as well as looking at how to rethink employment and retainment of staff. These courses are also part of our expansion support offer for this year, meaning it is part-funded and reduced in cost to only £10 per person.
To book, click the course name below. You can also visit our booking portal West Sussex Services for Education and select your required course.
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01/2026 (Early Years Skills bootcamp; Bursaries for Level 3 Diploma for Working in the Early Years Sector; Funded management and leadership training opportunity; Newly Qualified Starters Programme; NCFE CACHE Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for the Early Years Workforce; Best Practice Network Early Years Initial Teacher Training; Early Years Education and Childcare Jobs Fairs; Celebrate your apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week - 9 to 15 February 2026; Careers in early years and childcare; Jobs in early years and childcare bulletin; Could you offer work experience placements?; Department for Education qualification check service; Workforce review survey; Safer Recruitment training opportunities)
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01/2025 (Department for Education new strategy - Giving every child the best start in life; Level 3 qualifications for early years educators; Apprenticeships; Early years teacher degree apprenticeship; Funded SENCO Training for Early Years Settings; Early years skills bootcamps; National programme qualifications 2025/26; Early years qualifications standards update; Safeguarding reforms and recruitment references; Safeguarding policies and new recruits; Jobs in early years and childcare bulletin update; Training opportunity - rethinking the recruitment and retention of staff; Funded course to support your childcare business)
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