Our apprenticeship journey at Chuckles nursery

We are all currently apprentices at Chuckles Nursery, a private daycare nursery based in Newport, South Wales. Childcare is something that we have all been interested in since school, and we felt that the apprenticeship route, where working in a private nursery while doing our qualification, was the best way to start our career in childcare. Two of us attended an open day at the nursery, where we chatted with staff who had completed their qualifications while working. It was good to hear firsthand what the apprenticeship was like, and it made us feel confident in our decision to apply.

We have been training for between two and 18 months, and three of us have completed our Level 2 qualification in CCPLD before moving on to Level 3. The support we have received from ACT Training and our assessor has been amazing. They have ensured we had the right support to complete tasks and gain knowledge. They have really helped to build our confidence, and the transition from Level 2 to Level 3 was smooth because the work we did in Level 2 prepared us well for what came next.

We all love working in this setting as we get to meet and care for many different children and work with families. Being able to work in a childcare setting while completing our qualification has really helped our progress, as we have been able to draw on the experiences of other team members, ask questions, and learn a range of different skills.

We all plan to stay in childcare once we are fully qualified and have been exploring different routes, such as working abroad or in different types of settings. What we like best about this qualification is that it gives us many options for our childcare career and doesn’t limit us to just one path. We would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone looking to go into childcare as a career, as you gain valuable experience and the support you receive helps to develop not only your skills as a childcare practitioner but also as a person.