SkillsActive Playwork West Midlands

Playwork facilitates children's play outside the educational curriculum for 4-16 year-olds. Playwork takes place where adults support children's play in settings that include: after-school clubs, holiday playschemes, adventure playgrounds, parks, playbuses and breakfast clubs.

Some settings offer open access provision where children can arrive and leave unaccompanied, some provide registration in and out of the setting and some will incorporate both for different age ranges. Many of these settings will be subject to care standards and regulations appropriate to the UK county they operate in.

The provision of play opportunities in communities across the UK is crucial in ensuring all children have equal access to play environments regardless of their background and circumstances.

The West Midlands Centre

Steve Jolly, Regional Development Manager and Jayne Olden, Administrator

Formerly known as The West Midlands Centre for Playwork Education and Training, SkillsActive Playwork West Midlands has a part-time administrator, Jayne Olden and a Regional Development Manager, Steve Jolly.

The West Midlands Centre for Playwork Education and Training was established in January 1992.  The name was changed to SkillsActive Playwork West Midlands to acknowledge the role of SkillsActive as the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning. The main focus since 1994 has been playwork education and training, working with groups in the West Midlands to raise awareness of training and to support them in establishing assessment centres and suitable allied training courses.

Contact:

Jayne Olden, Administrator.  Mobile 07894 479917

Steve Jolly, Regional Development Manager.  Mobile 07590 184373

PO Box 14762

BIRMINGHAM

B45 5DB

Email: wmplay@skillsactive.com

SkillsActive Playwork West Midlands has an information and advice service on Training and Qualifications that works as part of a network of Regional Centres across England. We work in conjunction with the Sector Skills Council to co-ordinate and encourage the development of playwork both regionally and nationally. We offer a full range of services including advice and guidance about playwork education and training, endorsing regional playwork training programmes, supporting networks through newsletters, conferences, seminars and websites.

Findings from the Playwork People Survey 2007 for the West Midlands

• Playwork is a female dominated profession, in the West Midlands 87.9% of the workforce are women
• The playwork workforce is predominantly part-time, with over half working part-time
• Over three quarters of playwork employers thought that the level of skill needed to do playwork is increasing
• The average hourly salary reported by playwork employees is £6.60, lower than that reported for England as a whole (£7.70)
• Two out of four employees would leave the sector because of low pay compared to other industries
• To counter the impact of skills gaps playwork employers are most likely to provide further training for their workforce (86.7%). Only 8.9% of employers would take no action at all

Download the full report and the West Midlands regional report.