A major drive to encourage more people to go into a career in childcare will be launched this autumn as the Scottish Government strives to meet its pledge to virtually double the amount of free hours youngsters can receive.

Early years minister Mark McDonald said the move would help ensure parents have more choice than ever before when considering childcare.

While three and four-year-olds, and vulnerable two-years-olds, currently receive 600 hours a year of funded care, the Scottish Government has committed to increase this to 1,140 hours by 2020.

An action plan, containing 31 steps to help achieve this over 2017-18, will see a new funding system brought in where the cash follows the child.

A Scottish Government consultation found "significant support" for childminders being able to provide funded care as well as nurseries.

Mr McDonald said the new set-up would be "provider neutral".

He told MSPs: "We must also ensure childminders are enabled to play their part, so we will work with the Scottish Childminding Association and local authorities to ensure childminders are properly promoted as a high-quality option for the funded hours and in September 2017 we will publish a new learning and development pathway to encourage more people to choose to become childminders."

He also said the number of staff in nurseries would need to increase "significantly", stating a new recruitment and marketing campaign will be developed and ready for autumn 2017.

A key part will be the the Scottish Government's commitment, matched by £50 million of funding, for staff working in private and voluntary sector nurseries to be paid at least the living wage.

A new national standard will be established for all providers of funded childcare and the Scottish Government has also said it will commission a feasibility study to look at introducing an early learning and childcare account in the future.

Mr McDonald said: "Research shows that high-quality learning and care in early years has a positive effect on a range of outcomes for children and has the potential to make a key contribution to closing the attainment gap.

"That is why we are determined to ensure the expansion of early learning and childcare in Scotland helps to deliver the strong foundations our children need to succeed in school and in life."

The expansion of free childcare will be "built around quality, flexibility, accessibility and affordability to meet the needs of children and families across Scotland", the minister said.

His comments came as a survey by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) found about half (51%) are likely to offer funded places for 1,140 hours - but a quarter of nurseries said it was either very unlikely or unlikely they would do so.

Its annual survey for 2017 in Scotland said: "Many nurseries have reservations about the 1,140 hours offer, with 40% reporting negative feelings compared to 27% positive feelings.

"Comments indicate negative views are driven by fears about funding rates falling short of costs of delivery of funded places as they do with the current 600-hour offer."

NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said: "The commitment to early learning and childcare funding following the child is very welcome and responds to NDNA's long-standing call for this change to give parents real choice.

"We are also pleased that the Scottish Government is moving forward NDNA's recommendation for a parent-led early learning and childcare account with a feasibility study, and we are keen to work with the Government on the next steps towards making it a reality."

Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith welcomed moves to end "inflexibility" in the system, which she said had prevented parents from accessing childcare of their choice.

"I think these moves are exactly what the Conservatives have been calling for for some time, but more importantly they are what families and providers have been asking for, so we are very much appreciative of that move," she said.

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said: "While Labour has many criticisms of the government's approach to education, we welcome the ambition and direction of this expansion of early years and childcare.

"We back the commitment to expanding provision but we remain concerned about the investment required to meet it.

"To deliver 1,140 hours, there needs to be substantial investment in buildings.

"The £30 million capital investment in the budget surely is insufficient to meet the commitment to almost double provision."

Mr McDonald said this year's capital allocation was to allow councils to start the process of developing their expansion plans.

"What today's announcement does is it provides the clarity local authorities will want as to what the model is going to be and the approach we are going to take in terms of provider status."