Men in the early years – why we need more of them and how we can recruit them

Latest figures show that in England and Wales only 3% of staff working in early years education are male

Smiling gentleman holdonhg a Together we are #Mitey card

Latest figures show that in England and Wales only 3% of staff working in early years education are male; in Scotland it’s 4%.

In more than three-quarters of early years settings, there is not a single male employee.

This is not a phenomenon unique to the UK: it is global.

The MITEY (Men In The Early Years) Guide to Recruiting Men into Early Years Education, was published on 19 November 2019. This new guide  challenges the early years sector to take ‘positive action’ to bring more men into the workforce, to double their pool of talent and create a more representative workforce.

In the free guide, endorsed by Early Years Alliance, NDNA, Early Education, The Gender Equality Collective and the Men and Boys Coalition, you will find a host of suggestions for practical ways to make your setting more inclusive of potential male recruits.

Replacing ‘feminised’ job titles like ‘nursery nurse’ with more gender-neutral terms like ‘early years practitioner’
Keeping a check on sexist ‘workplace banter’
Including ‘positive action’ statements, images of men and male case studies in job advertisements, to clarify that male applicants are welcome
Holding open days targeted at attracting male recruits
Promoting early years and other caring jobs to boys of all ages
Working with Job Centres to promote early years careers to men
Promoting vacancies via fathers who use early years provision, as well as mothers
The Guide is available as a free download to members of the MITEY network (which is also free to join).

To find out more read Dr Jeremy Davies’ @MITEYUK blog 

Register for your copy here
MITEY is run by the Fatherhood Institute. It is a national network and campaign which works to bring more men into the early years education workforce, and support them once they are part of it

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