Nanny training to go national

A new nanny intern programme started in Hawke's Bay is going nationwide.

The Nanny Internship Programme by locally founded in-home childcare company Porse provides on-the-job training for students while families get subsidised child care rates.

The six-month pilot was launched in the region earlier this year and the nannies have now graduated with a National Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care.

Six of the seven nannies trained in the pilot have secured work and the programme will be introduced in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch early next year.

Porse education and training general manager Erin Maloney said Nips was an alternative to the traditional au pair programme.

"It's a great alternative to the au pair market because families don't have to have the interns 'living' with them and can choose flexible hours.

"It's also affordable because families only have to pay an hourly training rate of up to $5 rather than $14 to $25 for a fully qualified nanny.

'If they do want a nanny living in, they can choose to provide room and board in return for the additional hours of work."

Nanny graduate Emma Severinsen, 25, secured a job looking after four children in Taradale after the course and said the hands-on training made the transition easy.

"It's one thing to read about how you handle a 2-year-old's tantrum but it's another thing to see it in action and judge the best way to handle it," she said.

Interns must be aged between 17 and 25, and spend the 20-week course working through assessments and have 20 hours' practical experience.