Developing the practice of staff in partnership with employers

This chapter invites you to reflect on and recognise the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing partnerships between themselves and further education colleges (FECs) whilst acknowledging some of the controversies about how the employers support higher education opportunities for the EY sector. It also provides the prospect to understand the development of the Foundation Degree in Early Years (FDEY) and reflect upon employers’ and students’ perspectives of the programme. There is a summary of reactions and examples of impacts on practice from different categories of employers. The chapter continues with a focus on views of FDEY students with the relevance of a growing graduate workforce, including the recent Graduate Practitioner Competences introduced by the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN), being explored within the complexities of the current political framework. The chapter furthermore introduces the notion of continual professional development (CPD) and what this means for the EY profession. Case studies and examples to show the skills in planning and facilitating self-managed learning are explored. The chapter concludes with suggested strategies for employers to support staff and colleagues with their CPD requirements.