“We’re reaching our 35th anniversary this year, and the business has grown massively over that time. We now have four nurseries throughout Plymouth and Cornwall and work with around 600 families. Many of our Managers started out as apprentices themselves so we understand the value of apprenticeships in the industry”.
We caught up with Tracy Solomon, Business Development Executive at Pixieland Stoke, to find out more about the nursery and the benefits of hiring apprentices. The team at Pixieland is dedicated to making sure children are happy, safe, secure and stimulated at nurseries in Stoke, Mannamead, Saltash and HMS Drake.
“At Stoke we have around 30 staff, including 10 apprentices. The staff are highly qualified including Level 2 up to Degree and Early Years Professionals. The staff are keen to support apprentices to learn and achieve their qualifications and help them gain relevant skills to give them the experience to benefit their career. The apprenticeship route is great as it gives learners so much hands-on experience – especially compared to those who come from a college and only have the theoretical knowledge.
“When we recruit apprentices, we look for someone who is keen to learn and energetic and also has good communication skills. It’s also important that they are not self-conscious as you can’t take yourself too seriously when working with children! My advice to other nurseries who are thinking about hiring apprentices would be to find out why they want to do the job and their future career aspirations.
“We have a great relationship with Skills Group and have worked with the company for around 6 years. The team is very helpful and supportive, and the vast majority of our apprentices now train through them.
“We will definitely continue to hire apprentices in the future!”