Minister for Children and Young People visits Fife College

Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd MSP visited Fife College to give an update on the expansion of funded early learning and childcare hours.

The Minister spoke with staff and HNC Childhood Practice students at the College’s Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline.

Discussing the latest updates to the Scottish Government’s policy, which will see all three and four-year-olds, and around a quarter of two-year-olds, benefit from 1,140 hours of childcare a year from August, the Minister also led a question and answer session with students.

The increase in funded hours has required significant recruitment in the childcare sector across the country with an additional 4,300 full time equivalent staff are already in post.

To help meet demand for new childcare professionals, the College created extra places the already popular HNC Childhood Practice course. The College also introduced a new part-time HNC Childhood Practice course.

Minister for Children and Young People Maree Todd MSP said: “It was my pleasure to meet with students joining the Early Learning and Childcare sector and hearing about their hopes and expectations as they build their knowledge, experience and skills at Fife College.

“The views of the students will help us to shape the sector as we move in to the final stages of implementing the most generous early learning and childcare offer in the UK.”

Kay Fraser the Director of Faculty: Care, Social Sciences and Education at Fife College said:

“We were delighted to welcome the Minister to the College to meet with our Childcare Practice students. It was a fantastic opportunity for our students to share their learning experience and also discuss their hopes and expectations for the future careers in the childcare sector. The visit was also a great chance, for both students and staff, to hear more about latest updates to the Scottish Government’s funded childcare policy from the Minister.

“As the primary education provider for childcare programmes in the region, Fife College has a well-deserved reputation for providing quality training and for producing talented and confident Childcare workers. We are proud to play a leading role in the workforce development plan for the expansion of funded early learning and childcare hours.”

There are currently over 600 students on childcare courses at Fife College with applications for courses starting in August 2020 open now. To find out more about childcare courses on offer at Fife College call 03442480115 or visit www.fife.ac.uk/childcare.