Home / Subjects / Health, Social Care & Early Years / T Level in Early Years Education and Child Care

Back

T Level in Early Years Education and Child Care

Start Date

Mon Sep 04 2023

Day / Time

Duration

2 years

Fees

null

T Level in Early Years Education and Child Care

Enquire

Apply now

The T Level qualification is an exciting, brand new two year full-time course which has been designed in partnership with businesses and employers. It's aim is to give you the knowledge and skills to support you move into a career in early years and childcare or schools.

As a college we are committed to ensuring you are ahead of the jobs market when you leave us and we will provide the knowledge and skills needed when working under supervision with children and young people through a minimum 750 hours of industry placement.

You will undertake a high quality, structured and outcomes-focused industry placement which is an integral part of this T Level programme. The industry placement will be aligned to your career aspirations identified in your career plan which will be 750 hours and could include up to two employers.

High quality industry placements have clear role descriptions from employers in advance of the placement taking place which you will undertake an interview prior to starting your placement. Your placement will provide you with an opportunity to contribute to the organisation, develop a breadth of new skills to provide you with a valuable opportunity to personally progress towards your career goals.

During the theory and knowledge element of your course, you will gain an understanding of all aspects of a role as an early years educator or assisting teaching depending on the specialism you choose. You will learn and develop your skills by using a range of exciting and innovative teaching and learning methods including projects, presentations, displays and innovative use of VR bringing your curriculum experience alive.

Assessment

You'll be assessed in a range of ways, including:

Written examination which is externally marked
Employer set project which is externally marked
Occupational Assessments
A range of assessments that blend the knowledge and skills outcomes into practical assignments.
Project work
Hands on experience
Google expeditions
Augmented reality
Group work
Child observation
Activity planners
Professional discussions

Finance and funding

This course is free to those aged under 19 years old.

Most people aged 19 years and over can qualify for free course fees and there are grants and bursaries you can apply for to help cover the costs of coming to college, depending on your circumstances.

For one to one advice, contact our friendly team who will assess your individual circumstances and give you the right information. You can contact them on 0191 490 2246, start@gateshead.ac.uk or via Live Chat. Or pop along to one of our Enrolment Events.

The teaching team

Your study programme will be delivered by teachers who are passionate about the subject area and are at the top of their game. All teachers maintain their industry knowledge and skills by returning to practice at least once per year. Several sit on the early years professional exchange and some are also Governors in local schools.

Work Experience & Employer Partners

We have excellent links with a range of high quality work experience placements in the field of early years and schools and as part of your programme you will gain real 'hands-on' experience in our virtual learning environment prior to undertaking a work placement. Once in a work placement, you will work alongside professionals in your field and develop practical skills that you will relate to learning in the classroom.

Your work placement will take place in a range of settings such as Forest Schools or Beach Schools including with different age ranges of children including nurseries, day nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools.

You will undertake extensive placement of 750 hours which will include 2 days a week release and block release weeks.

Facilities, kit and equipment

For your placement you will need to have a uniform sensible shoes and black trousers. You'll also need one course textbook and a range of stationary. Financial support is available to cover these costs for those who meet the eligibiity criteria.

Next Steps

Once you have completed the full 2 year technical qualification you will be supported to apply to university, apply for jobs within industry or an apprenticeship route.

Required Entry Qualifications

Five GCSEs at grade 5 or above in English, maths and science.

You will also need to complete a DBS check which we will organise for you.

What are people saying about this course?

Receiving some really positive feedback from employers about our students out on industry placement is not unusual for us at Gateshead College. One employer who interviewed a Level 3 early years students for an industry placement had this to say: “Abigail was really confident, produced and delivered a really high quality presentation. Abigail not only raised some really good points in her presentation but she also elaborated on them. The team leader would love to offer Abigail a work placement and she will become her mentor whilst in placement”.