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Success Stories
Longhill School, Brighton
One of the schools we currently work with is Longhill School in Brighton. We currently deliver two programmes - the ‘CACHE Foundation Award in Caring for Children’ to year 10s and the ‘CACHE Certificate in Childcare and Education Level 2’ to year 11s.
The learners on the course spend one day a week with a YMCA Training adviser, and one day in placement. Their placements are arranged through YMCA Training, and usually take place within a nursery or reception class in a school.
Ros Ashton, Longhill School, said: " This is the second year students from Longhill School have been studying the CACHE childcare course, delivered by YMCA Training. The students, who are in their second year of the course, have gained in numerous ways, each individual getting different benefits from the course. They spend one day in the classroom with the trainer and one day in a nursery.
For some students it has engaged them in learning a lot more, for others it has increased their confidence. It has allowed the young people the opportunity to be more independent and given them a superb insight into the world within a nursery. They have also been able to see how the theory learnt is relevant and used within the nursery setting. The students are enthusiastic about the course and their attendance is very good. The new group of Year 10s have started their first half term very well. They have settled into their placements and started working on their first assessment. For a lot of the girls, the days on the course are their favourite part of the week and we feel this course has also helped some of the students with their school work.
One very positive aspect has been the partnership we have formed between YMCA Training and the school, and I feel we work together very well to gain the best for the young people."
Charlotte Humphries, YMCA Training childcare training adviser, said: "I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to teach key stage 4 pupils childcare, as I really wanted to teach, and it’s great to be doing it alongside delivering NVQs. I do find it challenging and rewarding, and feel very privileged that I am responsible for lesson planning and liaising with school and parents on any issues that come up."
Engaging young citizens
At YMCA Training we run a number of projects working with young people who are not in education, employment or training (The Right Step).
For the second year running, YMCA Training has offered ‘The Right Step’, a project designed to engage The Right Step 16-18 year olds from within the Salford area in a structured programme.
Individuals within the The Right Step group come from a wide range of backgrounds, including care leavers, expectant mothers, teenage parents, young offenders, young people with basic skills needs and those with a lack of family support/family breakdown from all areas within Salford.
The Right Step is funded by the European Social Fund, and not only aims to engage learners through external structured activities, but also to incorporate Skills for Life and offer learners the opportunity to try a ‘taster’ within a working environment.
These ‘tasters’ give individuals a clear focus on the progression pathways available to them, offering access to support and guidance, with an overall aim of helping to reduce the number of young people within Salford who are not in education, employment or training.
Participants on The Right Step are recruited through a number of pathways, in particular through the close links YMCA Training has with local Connexions, Youth Offending Teams, Salford Foyer, Fairbridge and other providers within the community plus direct recruitment from the streets of Salford.
All learners have an initial 1:1 intensive interview with the project staff team to assess their individual circumstances, needs and outcomes. YMCA Training has excellent relationships with local employers within all occupational areas, and aims to match the learners’ characteristics and aspirations with the most appropriate company.
The project has been designed to be fun for learners while still addressing specific core values such as increasing confidence, self-esteem and education levels.
Activities organised for 2008 have been based around building confidence and teamwork while at the same time, offering learners the opportunity to gain new experiences.
These activities have concentrated on boosting the teamwork and confidence skills of the learners and have included training at the Manchester Velodrome - Britain’s primary indoor Olympic cycle track, and a day at Go Ape in Cheshire, the award-winning high wire forest adventure course of rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides.
As well as boosting their self-esteem, learners on The Right Step will achieve literacy and numeracy qualifications plus certificates in health & safety, manual handling, basic food hygiene, first aid and fire awareness.
Winning Streak
Donna has been rewarded for her achievements at both a regional and national level, winning the Personal Achiever of the Year Award (16 - 18 year olds) at the East Midlands Real Success Apprenticeship Awards. She then went on to receive runner-up in the same category at the National Apprenticeship Awards, hosted by the Learning and Skills Council.
Donna was born profoundly deaf and partially blind and has had to work extremely hard throughout her life to overcome these disabilities and to achieve success in her career.
Donna began her Apprenticeship in Early Years and Education at our Northampton centre in September 2004. She spent six months studying full-time at the centre, before taking up various work experience placements. Her training culminated with full-time employment at NuNu Day Nursery, where she is responsible for looking after babies and young children. As a result of all her hard work and dedication, Donna achieved a level 2 Apprenticeship.
Donna enjoys working with children, particularly as they do not discriminate against her difficulties with communication. She commented "I feel that if I can get to my goal, which is to get to Level 3 with my disabilities, then I feel I have achieved something for myself and others like me."
Donna continues to work at NuNu Day Nursery and is currently working towards her level 3 Apprenticeship. She is also studying a sign language course in her spare time.
