Apprenticeships at WRAP
Apprentices are a vital part of our nursery team here at WRAP and we’re talking all about them in the lead up to National Apprenticeship Week from 6th February. Here, our Early Years Manager, Marzena, shows how she really enjoys helping people get started on their childcare journey.
We support people to either become a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner – which takes 1 year when working full time (30 – 40 hours a week), or a Level 3 – which takes 18 months when working full time.
The first step for anyone on their apprenticeship journey is an initial assessment, which will look at your prior learning. It is preferred that you have GCSE Maths and English, C Grade or equivalent, but if you didn’t enjoy school or exams then please don’t be put off! There is the opportunity to work towards these qualifications within the apprenticeship scheme where needed, and we are there to help and support all the way. The initial assessment, which is done online, means that the subsequent training can be tailored to the person and really focus on areas where they need to expand their knowledge, rather than duplicating things they already know!
If you didn’t enjoy school or exams then please don’t be put off! … We are there to help and support all the way.
We then assign the apprentice a tutor. I have been working with a fantastic tutor called Helen, from YMCA Training for the last 7 years or so. Her support of our trainees is second to none! She is very quick to answer any questions and we always enjoy welcoming her to our setting when she does her ‘in person’ assessments. Helen contacts each learner on regular basis to check their progress and give guidance and help if needed. She also comes into the setting to run through and observe our apprentices to see what activities they have prepared, whether they are appropriate for the ages of children, how they extend their knowledge and educate our little ones.
A childcare apprenticeship is a hands-on qualification that brings different things to your learning every single day. There is some course work that needs to be completed, but we make sure that you have study time “off the floor” during your working hours. At WRAP we have a study area and laptop that you can use to complete assignments. We also offer hundreds of additional online courses through the training provider Noodle Now.
At WRAP I am really proud of our supportive and encouraging environment where apprentices learn from each other, from our fully qualified educators and senior staff. Our nursery children are curious, eager to learn, engaged and love interacting with our apprentices - no day is ever the same, it is a very rewarding role!
