Some early years settings have found lockdown to be an ideal time to focus on staff training. Of course, with low occupancy and funding constraints, budgets are stretched, but 89 per cent of settings are still offering training, 70 per cent of these opting to go further than the mandatory minimum, according to the National Day Nurseries Association and the Education Policy Institute.
With 71 per cent of the early years workforce furloughed at some point between March and August 2020, according to the same research, and furlough now extended until September this year, there is more scope for settings to upskill their staff. Training is allowed during furlough, but staff must receive at least minimum wage during the time spent training – so if the 80 per cent salary does not take them up to minimum wage, the setting must supplement their salary during training time. If training is not undertaken ‘at the request of the employer’, the minimum wage ruling does not apply.
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