What action it is taking to encourage men to take up careers in childcare.

The Executive is keen to encourage both men and women to take up careers in childcare. In 2000 it launched Childcare: The Training Challenge
- An Action Plan for the Training and Development of Workers in Early Education, Childcare and Playwork. It has also published Working With Children, a guide to qualifications and careers in early education and childcare. Both of these publications make it clear that we welcome men working in childcare.In March 2002 I announced an additional £9.2 million for the period 2002-04, which will be allocated to local authorities for the expansion and development of the early years workforce. In the Scottish Budget additional resources were identified and for 2004-05 and 2005-06 the amount allocated to local authorities for this purpose will increase again to £6 million each year. The Executive will write to local authorities giving examples of areas that the funding can be used for, and one area that we will highlight is increasing the diversity of the early years workforce.