A booming childcare industry has brought serious staffing problems for small independent nurseries, and nursery manager Teresa Griffin is convinced that on-the-job training is the answer.

"It is hard to attract experienced staff, and we find that if we can get trainees as early as possible we can bring them on well. They gain the experience as they go along and we end up with excellent people.We also find that if they have trained with us, we can hang on to them when they are qualified."

She said a key to Apprenticeships was to give the trainees the time and attention to learn without depending too much on their actual work."We believe in having trainees as extras - not as part of the basic staff establishment.

"Then they can develop and learn really well without being distracted by too much pressure, and it means you end up with better trained and better motivated people who are more likely to stay on after qualification."

Two of her five permanent staff gained their training and qualifications through Apprenticeships. "It is a great way for businesses to meet their future needs for skilled staff."