Alliance welcomes inclusion of early years courses in government's Lifetime Skills Guarantee

Commenting, Michael Freeston, director of quality improvement at the Early Years Alliance, said:

"We welcome the news that a number of Level 3 early years courses are being included in the government's Lifetime Skills Guarantee. At a time when recruitment remains a real challenge for many early years businesses, we hope that enabling all adult learners to undertake these qualifications at no cost will provide a real boost for the sector.

"That said, ensuring that learners are able to easily access these funded courses will be vital to the success of this initiative and to that end, we urge the government to ensure that all registered training providers, and not just those with existing adult education contracts, are able to deliver these qualifications.

"Nevertheless, this is a positive announcement and one that rightly reflects the value of building a career in the early years."