Career routes for Early Childhood Studies Graduates 2001-2005

1. Career routes for Early Childhood Studies Graduates 2001-2005 Kate Adams Deirdre Grogan University of Strathclyde

2. An innovative course -1997 • A Bachelor’s degree for early years workers for whom no graduate route existed • Opportunity for students to continue their professional development by combining work and study • Building from HNC to a degree • Desire of course designers to improve current practice in early childhood establishments

3. QAA Scotland Report- Prof.D.Swinfen 2003 • Directed towards students for whom it is a positive and worthwhile achievement • Designed to meet business needs of employers • Developed with skill shortages in mind. Likely to lead to secure employment opportunities • Attraction to PT students enhanced if element of work-based learning is included

4. Analysis of student reflections • Aspects of being a student • Workplace practice • Self awareness • Societal and political issues • Opportunities

5. Being a student - beginning • Low expectations of performance • View of a degree as something really worthwhile, a significant achievement • Early focus on ‘getting it right’- just passing the assignments • Targeted achievement one module at a time • Fear of expressing personal ideas

6. Being a student - end of course • Ashamed of narrow view of an EY professional, more aware of other sectors of EY work, disillusionment with E Intervention • Wider understanding of professionalism-having a voice in educational debates • Links between theory, research and practice are two way • Increased self-esteem and confidence

7. Workplace practice • Initial assertion (later modified considerably) of the value of workplace competence - expected modules to be immediately applicable to their own workplace. • Initial problems in seeing relevance of modules which did not apply to some jobs at that point in time e.g. workplace supervision in early intervention

8. Workplace practice problems Negative • Lack of autonomy in work planning • Policies and procedures for schools which thwart change in nursery • Awareness that management and workplace are not ready for change Positive • Developing negotiating abilities to try ideas and being proved right. “I keep on planting seeds discreetly”

9. Workplace achievements • Sharing learning with colleagues, improving teamwork, trying new initiatives • Ability to justify practice to parents • Influencing change towards more responsive planning related to observations • Using research to persuade colleagues of need for a positive change for an individual child • Becoming the workplace expert in ICT and improving provision for children in this area

10. Workplace achievements • Contribution to policy writing including children’s rights • Keeping workplace up to date with new documents - DISCUSSING • Improving support for NC and HNC students • Reward of seeing some of the theories put into practice • Confidence in challenging poor practice and seeking to improve it.

11. Societal and political issues • Understanding of relationship between socio-political issues and Early Years work e.g. poverty • Realisation of ways government influences workplace practice without most staff being aware of it • Appreciating full implications of children’s rights for practice • Awareness of potential power relationship to vulnerable families in Sure Start

12. Career routes

13. Change of post and/or focus • Sure Start development workers • Working with under 3s • Early Intervention-literacy, ICT • Nursery class to nursery school -better expectations for support and being valued • Studying for Maths or Higher English to apply for PGDE • Social work assistant • Family/school liaison officer • Wraparound care team leader

14. End of course careers • 16 working in FE • 11 Head of Centre/manager • 15 Depute Head of establishment • 5 Care Commission officers • 5 Local authority adviser/trainer posts • 4 Senior NN- (team leader) • 3 SW assistant, Family support, Community Link workers • 2 Creche co-ordinators • 16 teaching or in teacher training

15. Evidence of improving efficiency • Evidence from this course that an undergraduate route can influence practice effectively during the period of study as well as after • HMIe report Feb 2006 Key strength in Pre-school • The commitment of staff, and the increasing number who have qualifications

16. What drives the changes in context? • Policy • Meeting the needs of families • After-school care • Funding streams directed to integrated projects

17. New challenges • Scottish Social Services Registration • Review of the Early Years Workforce • Challenge of integrated provision for new professional

18. The new Degree - BACS • Change of degree focus responds to the changing context of non-statutory work with children e.g. playwork, after school care, etc. • Continues to provide flexible advanced study for workers in early ed., childcare, playwork and other related services • Strands and modules designed to introduce knowledge frameworks and critical skills to allow students to be responsive to rapid changes of policy and practice

19. BACS COURSE STRUCTURE