- Download the Nursery World Awards Book of the Night here
Judges commented on the ‘huge impact’ that Helen has made during her 27 years of childcare training across Bedfordshire.
During this time, she has supported, inspired and motivated hundreds – if not thousands – of learners in progressing their careers. Some of these started working as volunteers and, with Helen’s support, gained childcare qualifications and went on to achieve senior roles within the sector.
As one testimonial states, ‘I first met Helen I think it was early 2006. I’d been working as a volunteer in a pack-away pre-school one day a week having decided on a career change. Helen supported me to keep learning and I completed a Level 3 qualification, then continued my learning by completing a degree in early years with the Open University. I don’t think I’d have got there without Helen.’
Helen is a children’s services workforce development manager for Central Bedfordshire Council. Her remit is the provision, and often delivery, of workforce development activities for both council staff working in children’s social care and, importantly, external staff working within early years settings across the area.
Helen is also an early years assessor, plus delivers and commissions a huge portfolio of training and development activities ranging from paediatric first-aid to speech and language and SEND programmes. There are also a wide range of accredited programmes Helen provides, spanning Level 2 to degree level, including various apprenticeships and short courses in specialist programmes, such as Five to Thrive and PANCO training.
Throughout this wide range of training, Helen’s approach is always to be professional, enthusiastic, positive – regularly stating how much she loves her job – and to remember to always keep the child at the centre of her thinking.
Along with her excellent training skills, Helen is inculcated with the technical aspects of the training cycle and co-production, but her ability to develop positive relationships with stakeholders is undoubtedly her ‘super power’. She regularly exceeds expectations, for example, being able to set up effective collaborative training arrangements with the public health and integrated care board where they previously did not exist. This collaboration brings in additional learning resources for the early years sector (£80,000 last year), which is great news in these tough economic times. Her work with neighbouring organisations has also meant additional resources that help offset the budget pressures in provision of childcare training.
Above all, Helen has passion and commitment for the early years and childcare sector and is a strong advocate for raising the profile of the workforce.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
AHN Education & Training, Apples and Honey Nightingale CIC – Greater London
Staff are passionate about sharing their skills and knowledge with others in the field of intergenerational practice. The training courses delivered both online and in-person to early years and care practitioners equip the professionals to challenge ageism from both directions – the young and the elderly – and promote community values. In turn, this improves mental wellbeing and creates a sense of belonging. Through the training programmes, nursery staff are learning the importance of reciprocal intergenerational practice and developing skills and strategies with which to embed programmes in their settings. Through this they are helping future citizens to become more integrated and tolerant, while combating ageism in all its forms.
FINALISTS
Ali McClure, Ali McClure Education and Parenting – Guildford, Surrey
Edwina Revel and Georgia Leech, Early Start Nutrition – East London
CRITERION
Open to an individual or team responsible for early years and childcare training in colleges, training companies, as a consultant or in-house for nursery groups, etc.
