Nationally Recognised Qualifications

There are two main ways to achieve a nationally recognised qualification in early years education, childcare and playwork:

College based qualifications, VRQ’s (Vocationally Related Qualifications), are available at further education colleges. You can study part-time or full-time and most will offer a work placement. Contact your local college to find out what courses they offer.
In order to study for an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification), you will need to get a voluntary placement or job in childcare. You can continue to work whilst studying part-time and will be assessed while you work. The whole process usually takes between 18 months and 2 years but the pace is up to you.

There are different levels of nationally recognised qualifications suitable for every stage of your career:

Foundation (Level one):
These are for people starting their career who need to develop an understanding of the basic principles and skills needed to work with young children.

Level two:
For people who are working directly with children but under supervision, such as a Nursery Assistant or Playgroup Assistant working with children under five, or an Assistant Playworker in an out-of-school setting.

Level three:
For people with more experience of working with children, who work more in more specialised areas, work alone and unsupervised, or who supervise others eg. a Nursery Nurse, Playgroup Leader, Senior Playworker of a Childminder working on their own at home.

Level four:
For people who are managers, co-ordinators or specialist practitioners e.g. a manager of an early years nursery or out-of-school setting or a Development Officer for a Local Authority.

Higher Education Qualifications:
The Early Years Foundation Degree and the new Early Years Professional Status offer opportunities to gain a graduate level qualifications for practitioners working in early years settings.

For details of the national framework of accredited qualification for the early years education, childcare and playwork sector, visit www.qca.org.uk
For further information about qualifying courses available locally, contact Bracknell & Wokingham College on 0845 330 3343 or visit www.bracknell.ac.uk

For information and advice about financial support available for qualification training, contact the Early Years Workforce Development Team on 01344 353100 for a bursary application form.