<p>I began the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/educa…; Level 3 course at Weston College straight after finishing school. Many placements were offered throughout the course to help give an insight into what working in this field would be like, including the responsibilities and daily tasks of the nursery practitioners.</p>

<p>My first placement on the course with Weston College was at Little Bears Day Nursery, which then allowed me to return to work there full-time after I qualified. I have now been there for almost 5 years. Throughout that time, I have been able to progress from room support to Key Worker, and then again to Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo).</p>

<p>I think work experience benefits the learning experience at Weston College hugely, as it helped me understand how much more goes into being a practitioner in a nursery, including the impact and responsibility you have for the children that we look after. Placements at Little Bears hugely benefit the learners as they can see how we work with the children, and help gain confidence to achieve good communication with the parents and other practitioners.</p>

<p>In order to enhance their college journey, a learner can experience a more hands-on and practical experience in a work environment, whilst learning and doing the job. It can show them how to work as part of a team and building good relationships with colleagues and professionals. In this field in particular, it allows the learner to deeper understand many aspects including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), taking good quality observations, and working with children of all ages and developmental needs.</p>

<p>As a local employer and a <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">Career Excellence Hub</a> endorser, I would expect learners to be enthusiastic and have a positive attitude when coming into this workplace, with a passion to work with children and eager to learn new things. I very much look forward to taking on new learners on placement and hopefully, in the future, taking them on as employees!</p>

<p><em>Kayleigh and Kim, Little Bears Nursery</em></p>

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">We love a good progression story!</p>

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Studying degree programmes has never been more convenient with higher education provider <a href="www.ucw.ac.uk">University Centre Weston (UCW)</a> on our doorstep. This means learners can study all the way up to degree level whilst staying at home, saving money and still getting an outstanding qualification.</p>

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Early Years student Lacey progressed from her Level 3 course at Weston College to the<a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/courses/early-years-fda/"&gt; Early Years and Education FdA</a> at UCW in September 2021. She told us all about her journey so far:</p>

<p><em>"I studied Level 3 in Children’s Play, Learning and Development at Weston College. I was inspired to study at HE&nbsp;due to my love of learning and wanting to push myself further to succeed. </em></p>

<p><em>"I decided to stay at UCW&nbsp;to gain this further knowledge as many people recommended&nbsp;it to me including friends, it also meant I could stay at home to complete&nbsp;my studies which has been great.</em></p>

<p>Since Lacey studied at Weston College, the Level 3 programme she studied has since been replaced by a <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/educa… Level qualification</a>. As well as brand new facilities, the has department has also benefitted from the introduction of the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/84501_Weston%20Col… Careers Excellence Hub</a>, endorsed by employers to ensure the courses are relevant to the industry and to maximise opportunities!</p>

<p>Lacey continues:</p>

<p><em>"So far,&nbsp;I am loving the course at UCW, the methods of teaching&nbsp;vary,&nbsp;and I think that&nbsp;is&nbsp;really good. There is a nice&nbsp;balance of discussion, lectures,&nbsp;and guest lecturers throughout the course. </em></p>

<p><em>"I am hoping to go&nbsp;on&nbsp;to do the full BA honours degree and search for work within the family support sector&nbsp;as a long-term&nbsp;career, I am&nbsp;hoping to have a placement based in this area to help me gain experience."</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thanks for sharing Lacey, we can't wait to hear more about your future successes!&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The Education sector is one of the UK’s biggest industries. The demand for trained childcare workers is increasing and the need for teachers is growing. With over 32,000 schools in the UK and over 634,000 teaching roles, there are lots of exciting opportunities available for our learners. In a post pandemic world, employers want to recruit the best and with the industry demand increasing, we want to provide our learners with the platform to maximise their true potential!</p>

<p>With the launch of our new Education and Early Years Career Excellence Hubs, our learners will now be equipped with 21st Century employability skills and develop the skills they need to prepare them for the world of work. The Education and Early years Career Excellence Hub gives our learners the chance to build their hard skills like safeguarding and health and safety skills and soft skills like problem solving and communication.</p>

<p>Education and Early Years is an exciting and varied industry, with lots of different career paths to take. Some of which include, early years teacher, primary school teacher, secondary school teacher and education consultant. Our newly opened state of the art Education and Early Years hub at our Knightstone Campus have been developed in conjunction with the Career Excellence Hub endorsers: Busy Buddies, Little Bears, DaisyChain, Mendip Green, YMCA and Storal Learning, who ensure that not only that the course content includes insights from industry leaders, but also that the new facilities will be industry standard to give them real-life work experience. Having the Career Excellence Hub equips our learners with ‘real world learning’ to prepare them for their chosen career destination.</p>

<p>For more information on how to apply to Weston College and join our amazing Education Career Excellence Hub, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/educa… ">click here</a>.</p>