South West day nursery group Mama Bear’s has invested in a new staff training scheme to help progress the careers of current staff members and attract new practitioners.

Mama Bear’s Day Nursery & Pre-School group runs 24 settings across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Somerset and Devon and is committed to developing the best talent in the early years industry.

The new development programme offers staff the opportunity to progress to a Level 3 Childcare Leader or a Level 5 Childcare Operational Manager.

The training is provided externally by The Childcare Company and represents an investment of £5000 per staff member in the scheme. 

Mama Bear’s Managing Director, Chris Marston, said: “Providing quality training and support to our valued staff members is of vital importance to us and our commitment to this can be seen in the renowned childcare we deliver to our families. 

“We are constantly updating our training to keep up with the latest industry standards and legislation and to give our practitioners the most comprehensive support we can. By helping our staff to further their careers we hope that they will grow with us and move up the ranks.

“Career progression is hugely important to us and there’s nothing we love more than to see new qualifications being achieved. We have had several apprentices who have gone on to become nursery managers through our training and development programmes. We want to nurture the next generation of early years talent.”

The Level 3 Childcare Management course provides staff with training on leading people, effective communication, problem solving and decision making, finances and Ofsted accountability.

The Level 5 Childcare Operational Management course covers developing teams, managing performance, strategic planning and project management.

Established in 2002 Mama Bear’s cares for children aged three months to five years. Consistently rated by OFSTED as Good or Outstanding, all the settings benefit from indoor and outdoor space and top-quality play and educational resources.  

Chris continued: “There is an industry-wide shortage of nursery practitioners so we’re hoping schemes like this will help to attract people looking for a stable and rewarding new career. As well as training we are also offering 50 new apprenticeship positions for those just starting out.”

Anyone interested in a career at Mama Bears can email recruitment@mamabear.co.uk or visit the website at www.mamabear.co.uk