Make the most of your study journey in early childhood education and care

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

If you’re interested in studying and eventually working in early childhood education and care, you probably know already that it’s a rewarding field to work in.

Not only will you have a hand in shaping the next generation, but you’ll also find many opportunities to have fun, be creative, and make a difference along the way.

Studying has its challenges, and finding the right training organisation is important. A good fit between you and your education provider means you’ll get the most out of your learning experience.

A journey with meaningful rewards

There are so many reasons to start your studies in early learning. You’ve probably thought of some of them yourself – watching kids grow, getting creative, and supporting the needs of diverse young people. These daily rewards can be nourishing and contribute to a feeling that you’re making a difference in the world. But have you thought about the material rewards, too?

Early childhood education and care is a growing sector with a high demand for skilled workers. There are many career pathways available depending on your interests and how you want your career to look. You might even consider working in an alternative education stream like Montessori or Reggio Emilia. With so many interesting roles to choose from, there’s a lot of room to grow.

Because of the demand for workers in this sector, you will always have a job. There’s also flexibility in terms of the hours and days you work, which makes it easier to balance your career with other commitments like caring for family, enjoying your hobbies, and taking time to relax and unwind. You won’t have to sacrifice a healthy and enjoyable life in order to have a career – you can have both!

And let’s not forget the noticeable impact you’ll be having on the lives of children and their families, and the sense of participation and engagement you’ll have with the wider community.

Why choose Practical Outcomes?

At Practical Outcomes we are:

• Dedicated to learner success
• Invested in your personal development and wellbeing
• Achieving consistently high results in national surveys
• Constantly improving our online and distance learning modes
• Creating community
• Teaching adaptive skills

We design our courses with you in mind. Choosing Practical Outcomes means joining a community of people who are just as invested in your learning as you are.

We try to ensure our courses are dynamic, engaging, and sector-focused. Part of this means teaching adaptive skills which enable you to keep up with the challenges you’ll inevitably experience in your career in early learning. Another part is having dedicated trainers with sector experience of their own.

We make it our business to find out what’s right for our learners and then implement these findings. That’s why we offer a convenient online delivery mode as well as practical support at all stages of your learning journey.

But don’t take it from us – take it from your peers! In a recent survey conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 91.2% of learners reported they were satisfied with the training we provide. We’re really proud of this wonderful result, which shows we’ve been successful in responding to new demands in education since the onset of the pandemic.

When you commit to training with a high quality provider like Practical Outcomes, you’re setting yourself up for a bright future and rewarding career.

Flexibility is key

Our approach puts flexibility at the heart of the study experience. We offer mixed delivery modes which include online and workplace training so that you have the option to choose how you study.

But don’t worry – online learning doesn’t mean we take a hands off approach. You’ll still get plenty of opportunities to interact and collaborate with your peers and trainers through our Online Community Hubs. It’s also an opportunity to enhance your digital literacy skills. All our learners have access to a user-friendly dashboard which makes navigating course components easy.

Learner success

Learner success is important to us, which is why we provide a range of integrated supports to ensure our learners achieve their goals. We see learning as a journey – it has its own challenges, opportunities, adventures and milestones. Each person’s learning journey will be different, so we make an effort to tailor your study experience to suit your learning style.

With assistance from our dedicated Learner Success Team, you can get help with things like:

• Study tips
• Language support if English is your second language
• Help if you lack confidence reading and writing
• Career advice
• Employment advice and support – including resume tips and writing a great cover letter

Studying can be daunting, but know you’re not alone. We provide support from start to finish because we believe a strong foundation sets you up for a meaningful career.

Practical placement support every step of the way

A key part of your learning journey will be to undertake a practical placement. While for some this might sound exciting, for others the idea of starting out in the workplace sounds absolutely terrifying. If you’re feeling this way rest assured you’re not the only one!

We want to make the whole process as easy and comfortable for you as possible, which is why you will have a dedicated Placement Coordinator to help prepare you for the role. Your trainer will check in with you on-site, and you can contact them for support and advice any time.

Practical placement is one of the best ways to put your new skills into practice, and our Placement Coordinator will work with you to find an early learning centre that complements your unique attributes and skills – so that you can undertake your placement hours in a supportive and stimulating environment.

Quality educators means quality education

Giving children the best start in life is important to us and our learners, but we know there’s more to it than studying. That’s why we’re constantly working with the sector to make recruitment solutions possible. We aim to ensure the sector is staffed with the best and brightest educators we’ve got.

Some ways we support the sector are:

• Training individuals to become skilled and compassionate educators
• Consulting with sector experts to identify areas for improvement
• Providing a stream of qualified individuals to alleviate staffing and skills shortages
• Updating our courses with new training packages
• Taking advantage of government funding and wage subsidies

Education ripples out through the community, so when we support early childhood education and care, we’re supporting the community as a whole.

Start your journey today

Check out our courses or get in touch with the Practical Outcomes team to find out more about starting your study journey in early childhood education and care.