Date – August 2022

Local Authority – Dundee City

Programme(s) – E&B, F4W, EF2, 3 & MA at Buttons and Bows Nursery

Introduction

Ellie is 16 years old. She is a trainee Early Years Practitioner at a local nursery studying for an MA / SCQF level 7 Qualification.

A typical day for Ellie within the Nursery involves; Ensuring that all the children booked in for that day attend the nursery. If anyone is missing, Ellie or another member of staff would contact the toddlers’ parents. Ellie then sets up the morning activities. She also retrieves a snack for each infant as per the daily made-up meal plans. After that, they then do a fun activity with the toddlers, such as messy play, art, play rom or whichever activity they choose.

During lunch time, Ellie and the other members of staff help distribute the toddlers’ lunches and assist them to eat it. The staff then clean up the toddlers as well as the nursery. For the children that want to have a sleep, they can do whereas the ones that do not are kept occupied such as doing puzzles and other similar activities.

At 1pm the infants that get collected by their parents. They are given a handover of what their son or daughter has done that day at the nursery by a member of staff. The staff then help tidy up the nursery and give handovers to the parents of the infants that stay on later once they are collected by their parents.

Ellie’s Journey and Experience

Ellie’s journey and experience to enable her to be where she is today is; Ellie joined the Barnardo’s Explore & B’Leave programme in March 2021.  At that point, she was dis-engaged with school and engaging in risk taking behaviour.  We worked with her to set some realistic goals and to explore career options. Ellie then moved on the Barnardo’s Fit for Work Programme where she attended sessions with MyBnk. These covered Budgeting, being Independent, Banking/Borrowing & Beyond Today. Ellie achieved an SCQF Level 4 Personal Money Management Award. She gained a lot from being on the programme and has decided that she wanted to return to school after the summer.

Ellie left school in December 2021; She then joined Barnardo’s EF2 programme in January 2022. Ellie completed her SCQF level 3 Steps to Work qualification. She also attended First Aid Training and a Care Mix Course. This included Protecting Vulnerable Groups, Infection Control and Administering Medication.  Additionally, Ellie attended sessions with Y Dance. She also completed her SQA Personal Achievement Award (Bronze at SCQF Level 2) in Performing Arts.

Ellie progressed to Stage 3 at the end of March 2022. She completed her Certificate of Work Readiness Qualification in June 2022. She was matched to a work placement with a local nursery during her time on EF3. We received nothing but excellent feedback on Ellie during her time there. Ellie made such a great impact that the nursery, Buttons and Bows, that they have taken Ellie on via the Discover Work Employer Recruitment Incentive (Dundee City Council). Ellie has commenced her MA studies at the nursery since too. All of the above have been opportunities that Ellie has opened and created during her time over the last 2 years of being part of the young person’s guarantee with Barnardo’s.

Ellies thoughts and feelings

What Ellie’s enjoys most about her current learning experience is that it has assisted immensely with Ellie’s confidence and anxiety. It has allowed Ellie to develop her work skills as well as gaining new Qualifications leading to Ellie’s current MA with the nursery. Ellie also feels that her current role as a trainee EYP is very rewarding looking after young children. She also feels a lot more productive each working day as Ellie now has a set routine instead of not knowing what to do with herself each day. Additionally she feels she has a lot more worth. Ellie also said that some parts of the job role are challenging, but she would not change anything about it.

Quotes from Ellie

The support Ellie has received through the Young Persons Guarantee from Donna and Bobbi from the Employability team at Barnardo’s in Dundee

“Without both of them I would never have achieved as much as I have today or be where I am at this present moment in time, studying for my dream career in becoming a paediatric nurse in the future. Donna and Bobbi, both supported me and encouraged me to follow my dreams as well an enabling me to become so much more confident and self-resilient, I am so thankful and appreciative of them both and the time and belief they both gave me.”

“The skills I have developed are endless; time management from being in my current MA having to be ready to get the bus each day into work, my confidence as previously mentioned has come on leaps and bounds, my communicational skills, my teamworking skills with working alongside my colleagues at the nursery. All of these will assist me in the future too.”

The barriers Ellie has faced are Ellies anxiety and confidence as she has always struggled with them both. However with all the support Ellie has received she does not feel that they are barriers now.

Ellie’s plan once she has completed her MA / Level 7 Qualification

Ellie wishes to study paediatric nursing at Dundee University and become a nurse in the not-so-distant future. Ellie also wishes to share her success and experience with other local teenagers and young people within Dundee and surrounding areas to not let your barriers, or weaknesses get in the way and just go for it and join one of the Barnardo’s programmes as look at the success Ellie has created in reaching a positive destination and sustainable employment.

Barnardo’s Works Tayside supports young people in Dundee, Angus and Perth & Kinross.