The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, 3.18, states, 'The daily experience of children in early years settings and the overall quality of provision depends on all practitioners having appropriate qualifications, training, skills and knowledge and a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.' This is certainly true and something we feel strongly about in our setting. When taking on any new role, it is only through training that you can even begin to understand what that job title actually means.
There are many ways to access courses and training but we tend to book most of ours through Essex County Council's Early Years and Childcare Training Programme. It provides an extensive list of courses with a few different venues and dates which is helpful when trying to juggle the best time for staff to attend. However inconvenient it may be to allow staff this time off, it is an important part of our duty as managers to ensure sufficient cover is in place so that a practitioner can complete all of the required training.
The other good reason for booking training through this type of programme is the cost. Course costs can be a drain in this current economic climate so look for charges which have been streamlined or, even better, get booked on to courses which are free, such as some through the integrated working team.
Other benefits of attending courses, apart from the obvious of developing understanding and knowledge of that subject, are the chances of meeting other like-minded practitioners. They may be based in different agencies and organisations and have different experiences in their work and having the opportunity to discuss your experiences, share your knowledge and pass on useful information to each other is extremely beneficial.
Also waiting to share their skills and support us in fulfilling our duties are the tutors. With extensive knowledge of the subject, a passionate well-informed tutor can be inspiring. Only very recently we attended a Team Around the Child (TAC) Workshop and were lucky to have such a tutor. With a background in early years and a fun, hands-on-approach to teaching, she gave us the tools and knowledge to carry out our duties with confidence.
At the end of most courses all that is asked of us is fill in an evaluation form and to look out for an email which is an online impact form. And once we have passed on what we have learned, we have 'ticked all the boxes'!
