Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Nursery training more than just child’s play
ARE you new in the nursery practitioner world? Or maybe you’ve been running your own nursery for a while and are looking for ways to improve your business?
The bottom line is there’s an ongoing demand for quality childcare practitioners and, with qualifications going up to degree level, working with children is no longer looked upon just as a vocation but a career path.
Getting the right training and having the right attitude to learning is crucial.
Established in 1998, Coralshore Ltd is a training company based in Dundee which delivers Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) approved qualifications in social services children and young people at levels two, three and four, playwork at levels two and three and management at level three.
“Having owned and operated nurseries in the past, it is my belief that, as crucial as it is for young people to gain their childcare qualification, it is just as important for them to be positive about their learning experience,” said Joyce Moyes, a Coralshore director.
“This ensures they are energised and pro-active in their continued development and look upon learning as an intrinsic part of their future.”
So, as well as the standard SVQ training, Coralshore provide free workshops for their learners too.
“Most of the young people we work with are in the 16-20 age range,” said Jill Stewart, co-director of the company. “Consequently we use social media as a method of communication.
“The majority of our SVQ courses are free as they will be Government funded. However, we work with all age ranges and can check funding criteria when potential learners or their employers contact us.”
Coralshore delivers workshops for Dundee City Council.
These are primarily for young people who, for no reason of their own, may have slipped through the mainstream schooling system. The workshops have been well received with some young people going on to gain employment
“Training facilities are inspected by the SQA and I am pleased to say that, in all areas of the inspection, we achieved ‘significant strengths’,” said Jill.
“This has been the case for a number of years with evidence of good practice apparent.
“We are proud of this and aim to sustain this standard through continually looking for ways to improve our service.”