Council and college join forces to encourage people to step into a career in early years
Wiltshire Council is working alongside Wiltshire College and University Centre to promote a 10-week early years course
Wiltshire Council is working alongside Wiltshire College and University Centre to promote a 10-week early years course. This unique partnership aims to create easier access to childcare professions.
The programme will be starting in March 2024 and will offer the opportunity for those with an interest in early years to gain a qualification and go on to have a career in this sector.
The programme spans 10 weeks, with participants attending three days per week, starting at 9.30am to 2pm. It will be delivered as a blended approach with face-to-face teaching, as well as online teaching via Microsoft Teams.
Students will gain the knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding and Prevent along with online safety. The Child Development programme will further give the knowledge and understanding of social and emotional development along with the importance of play and play for early years. Students will build an employability portfolio that will encompass elements of the programme delivered.
There are 30 places available between the Salisbury and Chippenham Campus.
On completion, learners will have the opportunity to participate in mock interviews to prepare them for a work placement. They will also have the opportunity to progress onto early years practitioners or an apprenticeship.
Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children's Services said: "This is a very good example of working together to make it easy for people wanting to work in early years to both have the training and then the opportunities following that training.
"Working in early years and providing that support for babies and young children before they go to school is a very special area of work and can be immensely rewarding. As demand for early years provision grows, we are putting in place the foundation blocks to ensure people can have rewarding careers and provide much needed support for our families."
Lisa Cuffy, Adult Learning and Commercial Enterprise Manager at the college added: "This is an exciting opportunity to work with Wiltshire Council to address this key local skills shortage. The College has a long history of delivering high quality training in this key sector and looks forward to supporting local people into local jobs, much needed by our community."
If you have a passion for working with children and have thought about stepping into a career in early years and would like to discuss further, please contact Adult Learning adultlearning@wiltshire.ac.uk (opens new window) or contact on 0845 345 2235.