How Does Training Factor into Recruitment? Study of Childcare Providers in the Loire Department

The health crisis we've experienced has undeniably disrupted our daily lives, regardless of professional or personal situation. Elderly people felt isolated, active workers were less active, and children faced parents as teachers. Yet while children, accustomed to school days with friends, after-school lessons, or early learning games for younger ones, seemed to adapt to this new "everything at home" rhythm, what about parents? Has childcare become an obstacle course again? Could childcare providers be one solution? What training and skills are needed for these childcare professionals? To better understand current and future occupation challenges, employee difficulties and aspirations, and future individual employer needs, IPERIA, supported by the Departmental Commission for Young Child Care (CDAJE), visited Loire, a changing department exemplifying professionalization.

 With a fertility rate of 1.87 children per woman (753,000 births in 2019 – INSEE source), France remains among the EU's most fertile countries. This leadership impacts the economy. Indeed, the government has long lacked places for young childcare, whether nurseries, kindergartens, or home care (childcare providers and childminders). Aware of these issues, childcare professionals use strategies to offer parents safe, secure childcare, with training to emerge as a pillar, as the Loire department's analysis shows.

With 5,300 licensed childcare providers, the Loire Department sees unprecedented growth in training participation. 51% of childcare providers regularly train while working. Childcare networks, tasked with guiding early childhood professionals toward continuing education, play key roles in training appetite and are the primary information channel for childcare providers.

While increased training needs don't directly correlate to childcare competition (note: demand exceeds service supply), they partly reflect parent expectations toward employees, as one network facilitator notes: "Today, families value soft skills as much as technical skills. Conflict management, communication, and openness to new teaching methods are essential for these families."

However, individual employer demands aren't the only explanation for increased requests. Childcare providers seek better occupation and skill recognition through training. "Having children and starting a family doesn't mean you know how to care for children. Training offers our employers guarantees and advantages over other candidates," explains Béatrice, a childcare provider. “Training enhances our occupation and distinguishes us from other childcare providers." Seventy percent of childcare providers share this view, identifying training as an employer recruitment criterion.

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