More than a school-leaver’s route: Why apprenticeships are becoming a retention strategy in early years

Rethinking the apprenticeship stereotype 

For many employers, the word ‘apprenticeship’ still brings to mind an image of a 16- or 18-year-old taking their first steps into a career. But that picture is incomplete. 

An apprenticeship is not an age category; it is a structured programme of learning and development that can support people at different stages of their working lives. In early years, this means apprenticeships can be used not only to bring new people into the workforce, but also to support practitioners who are already experienced and committed to their setting. 

A Level 3 practitioner, for example, may be ready to progress into a leadership role through a Level 5 apprenticeship. Another practitioner may be looking to develop their practice further through degree-level study and work towards Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). 

Reframed in this way, an apprenticeship is not necessarily the beginning of someone’s career. It can be part of a longer professional journey. 

The retention challenge in early years 

Recruitment and retention pressures across the early years sector are well documented. For settings, however, losing an experienced practitioner means much more than having to recruit someone new. 

Experienced staff hold valuable knowledge about children, families, colleagues and the individual context of their setting. They contribute to relationships, continuity and the culture of a team. When they leave, that knowledge and experience can leave with them. 

Much of the response to workforce pressures understandably focuses on recruitment and pay. These are important factors, but professional development and career progression can also play an important role in retention. 

For someone who has been working in the same setting for several years, being able to see a future within that setting can make a significant difference. An apprenticeship can provide a structured route to develop new skills, take on additional responsibilities and progress professionally without necessarily having to leave the organisation to do so. 

Apprenticeships as a route to upskilling 

The potential of apprenticeships lies not only in what they offer new employees, but in what they can offer the existing workforce. Crucially, there are already clear apprenticeship pathways that can support progression through an early years career – from developing core practitioner skills through to degree-level study and Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS). 

One example is a structured Level 2 → Level 3 → Level 5 → Level 6 career pathway, providing a tangible progression route for early years practitioners. The pathway includes: 

• Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Apprenticeship – a route into the profession, building essential early years skills, confidence and practical workplace experience. 

• Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship – developing practice and enabling practitioners to take on greater responsibility for children’s learning, development and wellbeing. 

• Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship – supporting experienced practitioners to step into leadership, develop leadership and management skills, mentor colleagues and contribute to quality improvement. 

• Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship – enabling practitioners to gain a degree and achieve Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) while continuing to develop their skills in the workplace. 

This creates a pathway that can be relevant at different points in a practitioner’s career. Someone entering the sector may begin at Level 2, while an established practitioner who already holds a Level 3 qualification could potentially progress towards a Level 5 leadership route. A practitioner looking to progress further could then consider degree-level study through the Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship. 

The value for settings is that these are not simply qualifications in isolation. The pathway connects learning with workplace experience and increasing responsibility. At Level 3, practitioners can develop their practice and take on greater responsibility for children’s learning, development and wellbeing. At Level 5, the focus includes leadership and leading day-to-day practice. At Level 6, practitioners can gain a degree while working and achieve EYTS. 

In practice, this might mean: 

• A Level 3 Early Years Educator progressing onto the Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship to prepare for a leadership role. 

• An experienced Level 5 practitioner progressing to the Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship, gaining a degree and EYTS while continuing to work. 

• A setting using the pathway as part of succession planning, identifying practitioners with the potential to move into leadership or teaching roles and supporting them to progress. 

• Managers using the pathway as a starting point for conversations about where an individual’s current role could lead next, rather than treating training as a series of disconnected qualifications. 

• Protected study time being built into rotas so that practitioners can develop their knowledge and skills alongside their workplace responsibilities. 

The important point is that the apprenticeship pathway does not have to begin when someone joins the organisation. Apprentices can be existing employees as well as new employees, making apprenticeships relevant to workforce development as well as recruitment. 

The roadmap makes this progression particularly clear: practitioners can build essential early years skills, develop deeper knowledge and take on greater responsibility, move into leadership and management, and ultimately progress towards degree-level study and EYTS. 

This is an important shift in thinking. Rather than viewing an apprenticeship as a replacement for experience, employers can use an established progression pathway to build on the experience a practitioner already has. 

For an early years setting, the question does not have to be simply, “What training is available?” It can become, “Where is this practitioner now, where could they progress to next, and which apprenticeship pathway can help them get there?” 

An apprenticeship does not necessarily mean starting again 

There is also an important misconception to address when talking about apprenticeships for existing staff: the assumption that an employee undertaking an apprenticeship must automatically be treated as a new entrant and moved onto an apprenticeship wage. 

That is not necessarily the case. Apprentices can be existing employees, and starting an apprenticeship does not, by itself, mean that an employer has to replace an individual’s existing role with an entry-level role. However, apprentices are employees and must be paid at least the applicable National Minimum Wage. The appropriate pay arrangements will depend on the individual’s employment circumstances and the employer’s terms and conditions. 

An experienced practitioner does not suddenly become inexperienced because they begin an apprenticeship. Instead, the apprenticeship can provide a structured framework through which they can build on what they already know, develop new knowledge and skills, and prepare for future responsibilities. 

Recognition of prior learning is also important. Training providers should consider what an apprentice already knows and can do when establishing the appropriate learningprogramme. For example, current government guidance for the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship explicitly includes recognition of prior learning within its entry and delivery guidance. 

For employers, this creates an opportunity to invest in the people who already understand the setting and are already contributing to its success. 

From training to career progression 

Professional development is most powerful when staff can see where it might lead. 

If a practitioner can see a pathway from their current role towards leadership, management or a specialist responsibility, development becomes more than simply completing another qualification. It becomes part of a career journey. 

The Level 2–6 pathway provides a concrete example of this progression. It moves from developing essential early years skills, through practice and increasing responsibility, into leadership and, ultimately, degree-level study and EYTS. 

This can be particularly valuable in early years, where practitioners may have substantial practical knowledge but limited opportunities to formalise or extend that knowledge. 

An apprenticeship can connect workplace experience with structured learning. Staff continue to contribute to their setting while developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with their apprenticeship standard. 

For employers, this can also support succession planning. Rather than waiting for a leadership vacancy to appear and then looking externally for someone to fill it, settings can begin developing future leaders from within their existing team. 

The current Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner standard, for example, describes a role involving leadership of day-to-day practice and supporting colleagues, making it a particularly relevant route to consider when thinking about progression within a setting. 

The funding landscape – what’s changed? 

The funding landscape has changed significantly, so it is important for early years employers to distinguish between training funding, employer incentives and the arrangements that apply to individual apprentices. 

For new apprenticeship starts from 1 August 2026, non-levy-paying employers can receive government funding for all apprenticeship training and assessment costs, up to the relevant funding band maximum, where the apprentice is aged 16 to 24 at the start of their apprenticeship training. For apprentices aged 25 or over, non-levy employers are generally required to contribute 5% of the training and assessment costs, with government funding the remaining 95% up to the funding band maximum. 

This is particularly relevant to retention because it means that an existing employee aged 25 or over may still be able to undertake an apprenticeship, but the setting needs to understand the employer contribution that may apply. 

There is also a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy employers recruiting new apprentices aged 16 to 24 from 1 October 2026, subject to the eligibility conditions. The first instalment becomes available once the apprentice has completed the first 90 days of their apprenticeship. This is a hiring incentive for new apprentices, rather than a general payment for putting an existing employee onto an apprenticeship. 

Employers should also be aware of National Insurance arrangements. Employers generally pay a zero rate of employer National Insurance contributions on earnings up to the Apprentice Upper Secondary Threshold for qualifying apprentices under 25. 

There are also specific funding arrangements for the Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship. For the 2026–27 academic year, eligible early years employers can access an employer support grant of £8,236 per eligible EYTDA apprentice, subject to the scheme’s conditions and availability. The grant is intended to support employers with the costs associated with employing an Early Years Teacher Degree Apprentice. 

This is particularly relevant to the article’s retention argument because the EYTDA support is not simply about recruiting school-leavers. The government guidance explicitly recognises progression for existing Level 5-qualified staff: those who have already completed a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship may be able to enter the EYTDA at learning stage 2, subject to the entry criteria and appropriate course sequencing. 

The wider message is that apprenticeship funding is not static. Rules, eligibility, employer contributions and incentives can change, meaning employers should always check the current government guidance and speak to a training provider before making financial or workforce decisions. 

What does this mean for early years settings? 

For the sector, these changes create both opportunities and questions. There is a clear opportunity to use apprenticeships strategically: to bring new practitioners into the workforce, but also to identify existing staff who could benefit from further development. The funding picture is not, however, uniform. A setting’s position will depend on whether it pays the apprenticeship levy, the apprentice’s age, the apprenticeship being undertaken and the relevant funding rules. 

This matters particularly for retention. A practitioner who is already established in a setting may be older than the age groups that attract full government funding for non-levy employers, but that does not mean an apprenticeship is unavailable. Instead, the setting may need to consider the employer contribution and whether the investment makes sense as part of the practitioner’s longer-term development. 

There may also be specific opportunities associated with degree-level early years teacher apprenticeships, including the current employer support grant for eligible settings. This raises a broader question about how we think about workforce development. If retention is a priority, should professional development only be viewed through the lens of recruitment and funding incentives? Or should settings also consider what it takes to help an experienced practitioner feel valued, invested in and able to see a future within the profession? 

Investing in the workforce we already have 

Perhaps the most important shift is one of mindset. Apprenticeships do not have to be about bringing someone new into the organisation. They can also be about investing in the people who are already there. For an existing practitioner, the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship can say something important: we see your potential, we value your experience and we want to support your development. That does not replace the need for fair pay, manageable workloads or good working conditions. Nor will an apprenticeship be the right development route for everyone. 

But when used thoughtfully, it can become part of a wider retention strategy – one that gives practitioners opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills, take on new responsibilities and progress without having to leave the setting where they have already built valuable relationships. In a sector where continuity matters so much, investing in the workforce we already have may be just as important as finding the next person to join it.