Men in Early Years Challenge Fund

More men are to be encouraged to take up a career in childcare with the launching of a Scottish Government fund.

The £50,000 Men in Early Years Challenge Fund will run pilot projects and Colleges in Scotland are being encouraged to apply. The fund will aim to increase the number of men enrolling on NC and HNC Childhood Practice courses.

Only 4% of the daycare of children workforce are male.

Maree Todd, Minister for Children and Young People, in the Scottish Government said:

Maree Todd MSP

“This is a fantastic opportunity for colleges to test out new ways of getting men into the early learning and childcare workforce, supporting our work to diversify the sector and recruit more people than ever to deliver quality early learning. Increasing the number of men in childcare means children will benefit from different perspectives and have more male role models to look up to.

John Kemp, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), who will be facilitating the fund, said:

“Diversity and representation is vital to ensure caring is not seen exclusively as a female role, and that all children have access to positive male role models. This fund is designed to help address the current gender imbalance in the Early Learning and Childcare workforce, as one of the recommendations in SFC’s Gender Action Plan.

“Scotland’s colleges are uniquely positioned to have a positive impact on redressing the current gender imbalance in this workforce, and we look forward to receiving innovative bids from the sector.”