Sophie Gerring
Apprentice Journey
I decided to undertake the Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship to take a step forward in my career. I felt ready to take on a new challenge, to better my delivery of childcare and better my leadership skills. As a room leader for the Toddler room, I was aiming for the Apprenticeship to support me with this.
The Apprenticeship offered a fantastic learning experience. It helped me to build confidence in my abilities and consequently improving my knowledge and skills. I feel able to put what I have learned into practice.
My training provider offered extensive support. I had regular meetings via zoom and had learning plans tailored to my individual progress with my tutor. The aims and objectives were made clear and I knew what was expected from me as part of the Apprenticeship. My tutor Ziggy had a wealth of knowledge in relation to delivering the Apprenticeship programme. Ziggy’s care and passion for her job was made clear to me from day one. Ziggy conducted herself in a professional and approachable manner at all times and was always happy to offer support and guidance. She worked efficiently in partnership with the rest of the Apprentice team to ensure I was on track and progressing well through the Apprenticeship.
My employer has benefited from me undertaking the apprenticeship as I was able to improve the way we conduct our curriculum. We have put more emphasis on reflecting on our practice to better our provision, helping to ensure we maintain a high level of childcare. I was also able to feedback to the management team about leadership styles and understanding each other’s techniques, encouraging positive team working.
The Apprenticeship has also allowed me to delve into more detail into psychological approaches, strengthening my understanding of children’s learning and development. This in turn has helped me build up insight to how children learn best.
I am ambitious for my future. I am working alongside the management team in relation to new opportunities for progression. I now plan to lead a Supervised toothbrushing scheme with support from the NHS and plan to focus more on wellbeing, to ensure staff as well as the children feel thoroughly supported in the setting.
I would highly recommend Apprenticeship programmes to anyone who wish to train and build knowledge in their field. They are a great way to ‘learn on the job’ and you can really begin to see what you have learned being reflected in elements of your practice. This helps build up your self-esteem and motivation to strive to be the best you can.