£1,000 cash incentive for West Midlands childcare recruits
Recruits for the Government's new free childcare scheme are being offered a £1,000 to sign up in four areas of the West Midlands.
Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Birmingham are being targeted by a new recruitment drive to meet demand for the scheme which will provide free childcare for youngsters aged two.
The Department for Education said more than 102,000 parents had already signed up for the new scheme, which will offer 15 hours free childcare a week for all working parents of two-year-olds beginning in April.
The recruitment drive comes just after a week after the Prime Minister admitted there had been difficulties in setting up the scheme.
The cash offer, which is available in 20 local authorities across the country, coincides with today's) launch of a new national recruitment campaign featuring television, cinema, radio and online advertisements under the slogan 'Do Something Big'.
The campaign will look to boost recruitment across the sector by highlighting the vast array of childcare career routes and progression opportunities offering on-the-job training, flexible hours and, most importantly, the chance to shape and support young lives.
Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan said: "Parents shouldn’t have to choose between a career and a family and our expanded childcare offer is going to make sure of that.
"From April, hundreds of thousands of parents of two-year-olds will get 15 funded hours. This is good for families and good for the wider economy – ultimately putting more money in parents' pockets at the end of the month."
Employment minister Jo Churchill added that the scheme formed part of a plan that would help a million people get back into work.
"We know just how essential accessible childcare is for working parents, which is why we’ve increased the amount parents on Universal Credit are able to claim from £1,108 to £1,630 a month for two or more children," she said.
“The Government’s expanded childcare offer also presents new opportunities in the sector, and we know how a career in childcare can be incredibly rewarding.
“With the expansion of free childcare, parents across the country – including those on Universal Credit – can return to work, extend their hours or look for new opportunities confident that their children are well taken care of.”
The childcare scheme will be further extended youngsters aged from nine months to three years old in September next year.
