The apprenticeship experience was so good. I am now keen to do a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner qualification and progress into a room leader role.
Why an apprenticeship?
As I have dyslexia and require support with my learning, the practical training approach of an apprenticeship is well suited to me. After completing a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship with a previous employer during lockdown, I was keen to progress onto Level 3 and become fully qualified as an Early Years Educator. This, I hoped, would bring further opportunities for progression and growth in a career I am passionate about.
I have enjoyed every step of the apprenticeship. Face-to-face lessons with my vocational trainer, Louise Woodhead, helped me fully engage and embed new skills and knowledge into my role. Louise was there to support me throughout my training along with my manager and other staff members who all motivated me to succeed and ask questions in order to progress.
Benefitting your business
I was not very confident when I first started at Sheepwash but as I progressed through the apprenticeship, this changed and I found myself taking on more responsibility such as doing nappy changes, monitoring dinner times, taking the children out to their parents. I also helped mentor other apprentices and support the day-to-day running of the nursery including the introduction of phonics into children’s learning. I was also able to contribute to the nursery’s recent Ofsted inspection during which we achieved outstanding in all areas.
Parent partnerships was something I was unsure of at the start of my apprenticeship; however, I now have a fantastic professional relationship with parents and carers of the children and understand how to communicate and approach different matters as well as maintain confidentiality.
The knowledge and skills I gained during the apprenticeship allowed me to support a wide range of children including those with additional needs. I also gained confidence in planning activities and implementing improvements within our setting. For example, as we are based on a farm, we used to take toddlers out for walks in pushchairs to experience farm life. After a discussion with my manager and deputy, we decided to encourage the toddlers to walk around the farm instead of being in pushchairs. This was hugely beneficial in helping the toddlers’ physical development and their gross motor skills.
When I moved downstairs to the 16 – 24-month-old room, I introduced a sensory cave for the children to access and explore their senses more freely. It is so rewarding to feel I am making a positive impact on children’s daily lives by meeting their developmental needs, supporting their next steps, and creating a safe and secure environment for them. In addition to the apprenticeship, I also completed internal training on safeguarding, food hygiene as well as experiencing peer observations.
The C2C training difference
As part of my support for dyslexia, Louise helped me to get 25% extra time in exams, blue paper to aid my reading as well as a reader to help with the text. Having this in place helped me overcome my learning challenges and meant I could meet my full potential. I felt well-prepared for my end-point assessment which was a great confidence boost. The apprenticeship experience was so good, I am now keen to do a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner qualification and progress into a room leader role. I could not do this without the support of C2C and my employer who has supported me throughout my apprenticeship by allocating off-the-job training and offering an open-door policy where I was always encouraged to ask questions if needed. I truly cannot fault Louise’s dedication and cannot thank her enough for putting me on such a rewarding career path.