Learner experience: A career in school age education

Monday, November 16, 2020

If guiding children as they develop, grow and learn through play sounds like a rewarding way to spend your time, pursuing qualifications in school age education could set you on the right career path.

Studying School Aged Education and Care (SAEC) can open doors to an important career in Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) and making a difference for young children.

The learner experience for those who choose to study a Diploma of School Age Education and Care (CHC50213) with Practical Outcomes is a positive and supportive journey, with career outcomes that offer a broad range of opportunities to suit a variety of individual career aspirations and existing commitments.

A supported and flexible learner experience

When Sarah Laumen enrolled to study her diploma with Practical Outcomes she was looking for flexibility in her training.

“Practical Outcomes was recommended to me through working at Camp Australia. The training options seemed very flexible for different learners’ individual needs, allowing us to continue working and studying at the same time, which was exactly what I needed.”

While juggling work and studies along with life’s many commitments, having a supportive trainer can be a game-changer for the learner experience. This is why we ensure learners have a dedicated trainer with plenty of sector experience who can tailor support and guidance to each individual learner.

During her studies, Sarah has found her trainers to be incredibly caring and helpful.

“The course information aligned to my workplace in relevant ways, and if I was unsure of what the questions or practical assessments were asking, my trainers helped contextualise for the OSHC environment,” Sarah said.

The Practical Outcomes approach ensures that the learner experience gives each individual the essential practical skills alongside vital soft skills needed to reach their full potential. Combining hands-on learning opportunities that are supported by human-centred educational strategies creates a learner experience that fosters empathy and confidence for learners to thrive.

An insight into a School Age Education career

A career in SAEC involves caring for children who are aged around 5 to 12 years. The care is typically focused around nurturing and educating through play, creative experiences and physical activities.

Currently an OSHC Educator, Sarah has found that there are a number of personal attributes that lend themselves to a SAEC career, including being an active listener, being a flexible person who is open to change and someone who is ready to have fun.

“Children respond to educators who smile, join in, are good role models and encourage participation through play,” explains Sarah.

Along with many other careers, SAEC offers full and part time options plus you may also benefit from working hours that involve split shifts. This can mean working in the morning, enjoying the middle part of the day with other commitments and then potentially working the afternoon shift. Alternatively, you may predominantly work on school holidays in the education and care programs run during this time. The flexible nature of working in OHSC is appealing for many, offering the opportunity to opt for morning shifts, afternoon shifts or both.

“Working part time and some split shifts enables me to attend my new studies/work online during the day time hours that the children are in school for and any other personal errands that I can complete between shifts”, said Sarah.

Opportunities to grow in SAEC

With a career in SAEC and OSHC there are opportunities to continue to grow and flourish both in skills and knowledge, and also in employment prospects. For those seeking further study, a Bachelor of Education is a logical pathway to pursue a career as teacher.

With years of experience building meaningful relationships within communities, Sarah is now training to become a Trainer and Assessor.

“I want to use my knowledge, experience and qualifications to help build the capacity of other educators working in the OSHC/SAEC sector and stay connected to the sector.”

For anyone who enjoys engaging with children and considers their health and wellbeing a priority, Sarah highly recommends the early childhood and school age education and care sectors. For her it has opened up a career that she loves, stating that every day is fresh start, no matter what challenges yesterday may have brought. Seeing the children develop and grow as they learn through play is very rewarding.

In fact, she’s been telling everyone to pursue a career providing care and education to children.

“I spoke so highly of my time with Practical Outcomes, that my sister has recently enrolled with them, working towards the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and is really enjoying the learning experience.”

If you’re keen to explore a career that is rewarding and has plenty of opportunities for you to grow, school age education and care could be perfect for you.