As young Londoners consider their next steps following A-level and GCSE Results Days, new research shows they are increasingly focused on practical career opportunities, with almost quarter (26%) saying the chance to earn while they learn is a key factor when choosing a career.
Against this backdrop, the Department for Education’s Do Something Big campaign is highlighting the different routes into a rewarding career in early years, including the new Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (EYTDA). The Level 6 apprenticeship offers a new progression route for those who meet the entry requirements, enabling people without an existing degree to earn while they learn and work towards becoming a qualified Early Years Teacher.
For those at an earlier stage of their career journey, Level 2 and Level 3 early years apprenticeships offer routes to build skills, qualifications and workplace experience, with opportunities to progress further in the sector. The new EYTDA builds on these pathways, combining degree-level study with hands-on workplace experience and leading to Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).
Combining degree level study with hands on workplace experience, the pathway allows learners to earn a salary while they learn, gain Early Years Teacher Status, and make a lasting difference to children’s learning and development during the most important years of their lives.
The EYTDA gives people another way to progress into a highly skilled early years career, combining paid employment with degree-level study and valuable workplace experience.
The campaign research also revealed that young people in London are increasingly focused on practical career outcomes. When asked what matters most when choosing a career, long term job security (36%) ranked second highest, while 24% cited the opportunity to earn while they learn. Despite growing interest in careers with progression opportunities, more than a third (35%) of young people were unaware that careers in Early Years Education can lead to senior, specialistand leadership roles. Importantly, nearly three quarters (73%) of the London-based respondents said they would now be more likely to consider career in Early Years after discovering the new Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship.
Laxmi Patel, Manager of Bright Little Stars Nursery said: “We decided to support the EYTDA because we strongly believe in investing in the professional development of our early years workforce and creating opportunities for talented and committed practitioners to progress within the sector. The combination of a degree, practical workplace experience and Early Years Teacher Status particularly appealed to us, as it enables an employee to develop academically and professionally while continuing to make a meaningful contribution within the setting.”
The Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship offers a new route to a rewarding career in early years, combining degree-level study with paid employment and valuable workplace experience while working towards becoming a qualified Early Years Teacher.
As qualified Early Years Teachers, apprentices go on to become highly skilled professionals who shape children’s learning during the most important and formative years of their development. Their expertise helps children build the confidence, communication and learning foundations that can have a lasting impact throughout their education and later life.
Georgina Trevor, Manager of Little Angels Day Nursery added: “The EYTDA is a fantastic opportunity, and one that hasn’t been available until now. It allows practitioners to approach an undergraduate degree in a way that for many, is more achievable – the possibility to learn through doing, to test out theories and make the links with practice in the ‘real world’ rather than a classroom appeals to many and is fantastic way of learning, if done with a suitable degree of collaboration, mentoring and reflection.”
For more information about careers in Early Years Education, visit: https://earlyyearscareers.campaign.gov.uk/early-years-apprenticeships/