Little Nippers Childcare are looking to take on two apprentices to join their friendly nursery in Plympton.

The Apprentice’s Role

The successful apprentices must be highly trustworthy and attentive to children’s needs. You will be involved in supervising children play time, engaging children in learning and play activities. This will be an important part of your role as this will show your confidence and ability to work with young children. You will learn how to interact with young children throughout all the activities that you take part in, which will help you enjoy your progression through your apprenticeship. Throughout each day you will be keeping and updating records accordingly, as well as working with team members and maintaining a high standard of operation, so that the nursery runs smoothly and efficiently.

You will be supervised by a qualified member of staff, who will show you all the company policies and procedures required for this position, including Health and Safety in the workplace. You will be required to make sure that the nursery areas are tidy and clean at the end of the day, in preparation for the following day.

Working Hours: You will be working 8am – 4pm, Monday to Thursday.

Wages: £148.00 per week, based on a 40 hour week. Any overtime above the 40 hours per week, will be paid at the appropriate national minimum wage depending on age.

Holiday: 28 days holiday entitlement (including bank holidays) will be paid each year, during the course of your apprenticeship.

Contact Details: If you have any queries please contact us on either this email address apprenticeships@skillsgroupuk.com or call us on 01752 332442.

Little Nippers Nursery, based in Plympton, has been established for over 3 years. They are very committed to providing a safe, fun and stimulating environment for children to play, grow and learn. Their management team are highly qualified with Level 4 qualifications and BA Honours degrees and Early Years Foundation Status.

At Little Nippers they provide a caring, friendly and healthy environment for the children in their care. Their premises have been entirely refurbished to create a home from home feeling in which the children can play, explore and learn. They are open from 7am to 6pm to accommodate the parents early drop off and late collection times for their children, 51 weeks a year for children aged 0-5. Little Nippers are Ofsted registered so that the children are happy, safe and secure in the setting. Little Nippers Nursery are committed to including and help every child to thrive and use Makaton signing throughout the nursery.

The children have daily access to covered outdoor play and learning areas and a large, newly landscaped garden. They encourage the children to explore the world around them and develop their mathematics, language and creative skills. Inside they have a sensory room, ball pools and provide a range of nutritious food.

Past Apprentices

Little Nippers have supported and taken on many apprentices in the last 3 years. The employer is very keen on training their apprentices at Level 2 and then to progress on to their higher advanced Level 3 apprenticeship. They are looking for a motivated enthusiastic apprentice to join their hard working team.

On completion of your Level 2 qualification, you have the opportunity to progress onto a Level 3 qualification and gain full-time employment within the company.

Skills Required

You will need to have good communicate skills both with the children, colleagues and parents. You must be hardworking, reliable and the ability to follow procedures and take instructions.

An important part of this position is to be able to work well within a team and be able to use your own initiative throughout the day. Good timekeeping and attendance are also required for this position, together with a focused approach on all the duties that you carry out.

Personal Qualities

The successful candidates will need to be presentable, outgoing and have a caring approach. You must be reliable, and enthusiastic and have a willingness to learn and progress in a professional busy nursery.

To enjoy and succeed in this role, you will need to have a focused and patient approach, and most importantly make each day fun and enjoyable for the children.

Prior Qualifications

No prior qualifications are needed but a good level of Maths and English GCSE Grades A-C, or the equivalent grade for the initial induction process.

The Apprenticeship in Child Care includes:

• Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce
• Functional Skills in Maths, English and ICT (Level 1)
• Employment Responsibilities and Rights
• Emergency First Aid
• Certified Health and Safety Course
• Internet Safety / Safeguarding

Most aspects of the qualification and training will be delivered at your workplace where you will be supported throughout your training by your employer. You will have regular visits every six to eight weeks from your designated assessor who will help you, and monitor your progression throughout your apprenticeship.

As an additional qualification you will also achieve Emergency and Paediatric First Aid, and a Health and Safety Certificate, along with Internet Safety and Safeguarding.