IT was once the pathway for teenage girls to earn a bit of extra pocket money from family and friends.

But now babysitting boasts its own approved qualification under a Scotland-wide initiative to recognise young people's wider achievements.

A 20-hour course in babysitting run by Midlothian Council has just been validated under the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF).

The framework, which recognises informal training as well as academic qualifications, has accredited the course as broadly similar to a National 4, which was introduced to schools last summer as part of the scrapping of Standard Grade.

The SCQF has already recognised a host of other informal courses including leadership training run by organisations such as the Scouts and the Boys Brigade.

The Midlothian babysitting course, which has run for nearly five years, sees those taking part given a hard boiled egg to decorate and look after for a week to teach basic skills about caring whilst also having a bit of fun.

Students then discuss the skills they need to be a good babysitter such as listening, being fun and creative and being reliable and consistent.

They are also given first aid training to ensure they can deal with an emergency as well as health and safety training so they know about the dangers of the home.

Finally, the students are taken on a placement at an after-school club where they get to work with small groups of children.

Gael Belton, from the council's community learning and development team, devised the course to get those taking part to recognise and improve their skills.

However, the course also acts as a crucial bridge to get young people who may be disaffected with school to re-engage with the education system and the possibilities of further qualifications at college.

She said: "We were aware there were lots of young women in the community who may have been disengaged with school and who perhaps were not looking at the options that college might give them, but who were babysitting for family or friends.

"We saw that as an opportunity to give some skills to those young people, but also to get them to recognise the value of what they were doing and the fact it was something that they could be using to earn some money for themselves.

"It is also great for their confidence to have a certificate at the end of the course which proves to them that they have learnt something of value to themselves and the rest of society, but it is also a crucial first step along the road to a childcare qualification which many of them go on to do at college."

Demi Davidson, 16, who has recently completed the course, said it had helped her decide her future careers options.

She said: "I really enjoyed it. I heard about it through school and, because I was babysitting for my cousins, I thought it would be a good thing to do.

"Working with children came quite naturally to me and it's helped me focus on the next steps which is an HNC in childcare at Edinburgh College."

Nicola Lewenhawk, 16, who is taking up a preparation for work course at council-run Midlothian Training Services, added: "Doing the first aid training was really helpful and it has given me more skills and boosted my confidence."

Aileen Ponton, chief executive of SCQF, said the programme supported young people with an interest in childcare and recognised the informal learning they had undertaken.

She said: "This sort of course allows young people, particularly those with few formal qualifications, to be assessed for learning they have gained in more informal settings. This learning can then be compared to other qualifications at the same level.

"Our criteria ensures the credit rating process is robust, but also allows for a very diverse range of learning to be included which supports confidence and self-esteem in young people and helps them make a plan of action for the future."

Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council added: "It's the task of our schools to find the strengths, interests and talents of every young person to help them make the most of themselves.

"This is an excellent way to open doors for youngsters who are wavering in their commitment to education, helping them see opportunities and pathways."