Early childhood graduates in the workplace: Experiences and perceptions

This report of an Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network (ECSDN) funded collaborative research project explores the experiences and perceptions of Early Childhood Studies (ECS) graduates in the workplace. Previous research has shown the benefits of a graduate workforce in the delivery of high-quality education and care for young children, their families and communities. This project aimed to build upon the previous two ECSDN funded projects and was completed in two phases. The first involved a national survey of ECS graduates which aimed to understand their experiences as they entered the workforce and developed their own career pathways. The second phase centred around an online ‘world café’ event for employers which aimed to understand the value of the degree and its graduates from the perspective of the sector. Shared thematic analysis brought the findings from these two phases together to draw conclusions about the overall experiences and perceptions of ECS graduates in the workplace.


The key findings and recommendations are:

• Greater appreciation of the wide diversity of career pathways that ECS Degrees contribute towards. The graduates’ stories demonstrate the value of ECS degrees for society and this needs to be acknowledged more widely by both the university sector and policymakers.

• ECS degrees support elevated reflective and critical thinking skills which enhances graduates' personal development as well as localised, context-specific pedagogical and research knowledge. However, graduates continue to require support to develop their understanding of wider contextual factors such as the impact of poverty and additional needs as well as receiving more support to develop their leadership skills.

• Employers value ECS graduates for their knowledge and understanding, but there needs to be a shared appreciation of this value from parents, policymakers and wider society, especially in financial terms. Policymakers should consider a national qualification framework with commensurate funding and pay scales.

• A joined-up, bi-directional partnership approach to working with the sector, that supports ECS students and employers as well as universities is needed. These partnerships could be further developed through the enhancement of existing networks and further joining up of professional learning opportunities to establish an eco-system of early childhood studies networks, linked through association with the ECSDN.