Connor’s flying high with his career plan
Connor Laurie, 22, from Glasgow is working towards his apprenticeship at the Butterfly Nursery.
When Connor left school he was going on to pursue a career in sports coaching for kids, but when he was asked to help out at a nursery during the summer holidays he jumped at the opportunity.
After lending a hand, Connor was offered a full-time job and went on to college to study for his level 5 and 6 NC.
He is now undertaking an apprenticeship at the Butterfly Nursery and gets to incorporate all sorts of activities into the day-to- day routine.
Connor finds working in the nursery and seeing the kids every day incredibly rewarding.
Having his own key group of nine children, aged three to five, gives him a great sense of responsibility and achievement.
Just four months into his apprenticeship, Connor is at the very beginning of his career in Early Years, but he said:“The best thing about my job is the smiles on the kids’faces when you do something fun together – them being happy is the most rewarding thing.
“Every day is different and there are so many variables, you need to be flexible and creative to be able to adapt to every situation.
“For example, if you’ve come up with a game or activity and they’re not enjoying it, you have to think quickly on your feet to change it so you have their attention and keep them engaged. Ultimately, it’s all about the kids.
“Once I’ve finished my apprenticeship, I hope to work through my SVQ qualifications and get as much experience as possible.
“I want to try lots of different things through my career in Early Learning and Childcare, and maybe run my own nursery one day. All I know is I want to work with kids.
“For anyone thinking about a career in Early Learning and Childcare, I’d say go for it.
“You need to have the patience, because it’s not always an easy job.
“But if you that think it’s for you, just do it.”