For those who have a keen interest in working in early education have been given a huge helping hand, as the government is set to donate a huge £2 million apprenticeship bursary to help with learning costs.
This has been a huge boost for those who have keen desire to work within this area of education, which has seen the government jump into action. It will allow participants to apply for a bursary of up to £1500, with a further £300 being available for extra needed training. The bursary, which is hopefully going to come into affect in September, will be available for more than 1,000 people.
The apprenticeship bursary will be a transitional scheme ahead of the early year’s educator qualifications in 2014. The apprenticeship bursary scheme will also seek to sustain the delivery of the early education places for 2-year-olds.
This scheme rises from the ashes in the findings in the ‘More Great Childcare’ report, in which the government vowed to find a solution to the UK’s growing childcare problem. ‘More Great Childcare’ is vital to ensuring we can compete in the global race, by helping parents get back into work and readying children for school and, eventually, employment. It also vows that the scheme can help build a stronger society, with more opportunities for women who want to work and raise children at the same time, and better life chances for children whatever their background.
This apprenticeship bursary will be eligible to those who have secured placements within a nursery or other provision that delivers the early learning phases for toddlers. The apprentices must also have completed some basic education, as a grade C level at GCSE in both English and Maths is obligatory to become applicable.
The scheme, which will be run by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, will be open to applications from this upcoming September.
Apprenticeships are expected to last an average of 20 months. They will consist of employment and study to gain a recognised qualification through various routes, including further education colleges.
