Apprenticeships
Clare's journey back to the workplace
I found out from a family friend about a new programme starting called the Women Returners. This programme was developed to help mothers with young children return to the workplace. As I had not worked since my daughter and son were born, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to gain some new skills which might help me to secure future employment.
When researching the programme, I found out that a local training company called tigers were delivering the courses in my area. I went onto to tigers website and saw that they delivered lots of different training programmes and had excellent testimonials from a wide variety of people. This gave me the confidence to apply to join the programme. I was very nervous and unsure of myself to begin with but the guy running the course put me at ease straight away. I found attending the course not only helped to build my confidence, I also gave me practical Microsoft Office experience. As part of the course, we were helped with CV writing, Job Applications and Interview Techniques. This was the kind of support I needed to get back into the workplace, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to return to the workplace.
I was told by the tutor that there was a vacancy for an administrator at Tigers and he thought I should apply. I was very anxious when I was invited for any interview. However, at the interview the panel were all very welcoming and helped to put me at ease. They told me about the company and what the main duties of the job role would be. They also assured me that they were aware that I had small children at nursery and school and where more than happy to be flexible with my working hours.
I was extremely happy to find out the same week of the interview that I had been successful and would be given the opportunity to join the team at Tigers. After a probationary period, I was offered a permanent contract, and was delighted. They also offered me the opportunity to gain a Modern Apprenticeship in Business & Administration Level 3. As I hadn’t studied since college over 10 years previously and had a young family, I was really worried about not being able to complete a qualification. However, they assured me that it was a work-based qualification and I would not be expected to do work at home. I meet with my assessor who explained all about the qualification and how my work duties would be part of the evidence needed for each unit. She also explained that she would visit me at work on a regular basis to observe me working and go over each unit and what was involved it gaining the evidence. I found this to be a really rewarding experience and it really helped me to understand my job better. Going through the individual units with my assessor gave me the confidence in my own ability and also gave me excellent new skills, which I could bring to my job.
I am really thankful to Tigers for giving me the opportunity to develop and grow new skills with excellent qualification which will help me to have a future career.
Clare Johnstone
Trainee Co-Ordinator
Young people invest in a programme they can bank on
Tigers, along with Royal Bank of Scotland and We Are Futures have been delighted to deliver the CareerSense Find Your Path employability programme
Celebration, cake and connection at tigers
In partnership with RBS and We Are Futures, tigers have been delighted to deliver CareerSense Find Your Path to a group of young people, offering them skills workshops, one-to-one mentoring support from a bank colleague and a paid four-week work experience placement at the bank.
On Monday, April 11th, we were excited to welcome some of our young people into tigers HQ, along with their mentors from NatWest. The morning began with a mentoring session, with the group reflecting on their time on the course, and also their work experience placement.
In the afternoon, we welcomed a selection of guests from the bank, We Are Futures and tigers, with the young people delivering presentations, but not before a spot of lunch!
“What I really learnt – tigers and NatWest are GREAT people!”
Amy Taylor, learner
Coming up one-by-one after lunch to deliver the presentations, the young people demonstrated the development of their curiosity, bravery, confidence and resilience over the past few months. Each had something different to share about their time on the course and their work placement, along with the skills they had learnt, the challenges they had faced, and how they overcame them.
Finishing off with certificates, photographs and a slice of cake, it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work our young people had put in over the last few months. Whilst we were sad to see them go for the final time, we remain excited for their future career prospects,
What’s next for CareerSense Find Your Path? We’ll be excited to share some information with you about how we’ll be able to help another group of young people explore the world of employment very soon!
Lullaby Lane supports building the future workforce of ELC
About Lullaby Lane Nurseries
Lullaby Lane has been operating since 2013, we are an attachment led nursery meeting the emotional needs of our children. We have two nurseries who are providing childcare for children 0-5 years old. We are currently working with around 150 families across Bearsden and Milngavie area. Currently we have 41 people employed with us and we are continuing to recruit to provide further opportunities for our team. We are a nursery that prioritise starting with the adults in the lives of our children as, the team must feel valued for them to provide emotional care for our children and families.
Our Commitment to Apprenticeships
At Lullaby Lane 15 of the 41 team are currently apprentices who are undertaking their SVQ level 3 or 4 in children and young people, we believe that Modern Apprenticeships provide people with the skills as well as the knowledge. All our apprentices undertake additional training opportunities that builds their confidence. Due to the nursery being attachment led the team all undertake training with Dr Suzanne Zeedyk that supports them to understand brain development and why the first 3 years in a child’s life is the most formative time the brain grows.
We are working with Tigers Early Years to create an MA model that allows them to take time out their working week to complete their qualification. We believe that Early Years is one of the most important jobs and the team must feel valued. Tigers supports us by allowing the assessor to come into the nursery and do observations to support the apprentices to be guided to how they work with the children.
“I trained with Tigers in SVQ Social Services (Children & Young People) and the best thing I’ve taken away has been learning how our bodies and brain works and focusing on secure attachment and play. My training led to a job in Early Years working at Lullaby Lane, undertaking the Modern Apprenticeship programme gave me the knowledge and skills to take this into the nursery.”
Chris Keane, Depute Manager, Lullaby Lane Nurseries
We believe that Modern Aprrenticeships are a valuable qualification that helps people to gain skills and knowledge in the career they have a passion for.