One in four Gen Z in Devon Unaware of Early Years Apprenticeship Opportunities and The Rewarding Kick Start They Can Be

To coincide with this year’s National Apprenticeships Week, the Department for Education surveyed 2000 Gen Z across the country to get a sense of what they thought about being an early years apprentice, with some interesting results being revealed for Devon. The research shed light on the appeal and challenges faced by the younger generation when considering a career in early years education.

Over three quarters (76%) of the Gen Z surveyed expressed a strong interest in pursuing an early years’ apprenticeship. However, despite the high level of interest, one in four respondents in Devon admitted they were unaware that such apprenticeship opportunities even existed.

Over half (61%) of the Gen Z in Devon felt an apprenticeship would be the best way to kick start a successful career in early years education with a further 46% saying that learning while earning along with personal growth (28%) and helping a child’s development first hand (29%) were some of the biggest benefits of being in an early year apprenticeship.

Leading the Gen Z charge as early years apprentices are Torquay locals Louella Hughes (19) and Chloe Gwynne (24). “I knew that I wanted to work with children and to make that change to their lives, because we are so important as a starting point for their trust with adults. I just wanted to make a difference that way.  I found the early years apprenticeship at Kiddi Caru Nurseyand been here about a year and three months and love it.” said Louella. She continued: “I have grown in confidence since working at the Nursery, at the start of my apprenticeship journey I could not imagine talking to parents - now I feel confident in doing so at pickup and drop off and built a confidence in my learning and understanding of the work set which I had not known before.”

Chloe had a similar story saying: “Prior to working in my nursery I spent 7 years working at McDonalds and then 1 year at Sainsburys. I wanted to work with children but knew that with no experience it would be difficult to be successful, doing an apprenticeship means I can have on the job experience and also develop my understanding through education. I have always wanted to work with children and I felt that it was the right time for me to start pursuing a career that I wanted to stay in for the foreseeable.  I really enjoy interacting with the children and developing bonds with not only them but also their parents and my coworkers. Having a group of people I am able to rely on and also lean on is really helpful.”

When asked to identify the primary obstacles preventing them from applying for a role in early years education, not feeling patient enough (20%), lacking skills (21%) and finding the idea of working with children daunting (21%) came out tops of those Devon Gen Z surveyed.

However, when asked about the highlights of being an early years apprentice, Chloe explained “The best bit is definitely seeing the children progress and develop.  Seeing them start crawling, start walking and start talking is just the best thing and being able to celebrate that with parents as well. I absolutely love it. It’s such a rewarding career choice.”

“I would recommend an early years apprenticeship as you can earn and learn and it brings you so much confidence and makes you more independent. You get to try new things and you're developing yourself as well with work life’ said Louella.

“As part of our Plan for Change, this government is determined to deliver an early year’s system that gives every child the best start in life – and high quality early years starts with high quality educators.

“It’s brilliant to see that over three quarters of young people here in the UK would consider an Early Years apprenticeship and over half of those see it as a rewarding successful career.

“I have seen firsthand the dedication of early years educators, who play a crucial role in nurturing the skills, creativity, and confidence that children need to thrive. The Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship is not just a job – it’s an opportunity to be part of something truly special, providing quality education and care for our youngest learners.”  Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education.

If you’re interested in early years apprenticeships, please visit the Do Something Big website: earlyyearscareers.campaign.gov.uk