Bath College is offering a new programme of Early Years courses, ideal for mums and dads with young children, as well as those planning the next step in their career.
The new programmes, starting in September, includes a wide range of courses, from practical workshops to parenting advice and continuing professional development for Early Years Practitioners.
Parents can enjoy spending time with their child during a themed craft workshop, or learning how to soothe and relax their baby on the college’s new baby massage course.
For information on how to support your child’s development, tackling challenging toddler behaviour and e-safety, you can book onto one of the college’s parenting advice courses to speak to a friendly professional.
Or if you’re considering a career change and you’d like to train to become an Early Years Practitioner, Bath College offers courses at Level 2 and Level 3.
Students on the two-year Level 3 course attend college one day a week and undertake paid or voluntary work for a minimum of 10 hours per week, leading to Early Years Educator (EYE) status – a license to practice unsupervised with children.
They will benefit from links with the Bath College Care Academy, created to connect students with local employers who volunteer their time to help train the next generation of health and social care workers.
For trained practitioners, staff have developed a range of workshops contributing to continual professional development, including storytelling and literacy development, leadership skills and behaviour management.
Alongside this, Bath College’s crèche and gym will re-open in September on Wednesday and Friday mornings, with space available for 12 children (from six weeks to five-years-old).
Organised by Level 2 childcare and sports students, the project allows parents to leave their children at the crèche and visit the college gym, which is open to the public. At the moment, parents need to stay onsite, but later in the year, the college will apply to register with Ofsted so that children can be dropped off.
Kate Hobbs, Head of Department for Leisure, Sport and Care at Bath College, said, “We want to create a welcoming environment for children and their parents at the college. We’re expanding our provision to provide a wider range of professional courses for practitioners, as well as practical hands-on courses for families, and we’re really excited about the new courses.
“As the government has increased the funding available for pre-school children we’ve seen a growth in interest in people wanting to work in the sector, so we’re responding to that.
“We’re committed to developing the employability skills of young people and adult learns to support progression into the Early Year sector.
“Whether you’re a young person or an adult learner, there will be a course suitable for you. We’re encouraging people to contact us to discuss their options because we offer a wide range of different levels.”
Visit www.bathcollege.ac.uk or call (01225) 312191 extension number 720.