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Childcare and Education

Childcare and Education

Welcome to Childcare and Education

Not many careers are more rewarding than helping to nurture and develop the next generation. We prepare you for careers in nurseries and schools, creating games and activities for toddlers in early years learning or inspiring a class of children to fulfil their potential.

Our childcare and education programmes teach you about child development and working with parents, alongside developing transferable skills like communication and First Aid that will make you stand out from the crowd in a wide variety of jobs.

Childcare and Education

“Attending The Sheffield College has made a real difference to my future as it has made my dream of working with children become a reality. I have gained valuable work experience from a placement in which I developed and extended my skills in childcare.”

Ayesha Nadeem, former Childcare and Education student

Which programme is right for me?

Picking the right course is the first step in your childcare and education career! Whether you choose a full-time study programme and pick your own specialism, prepare for university with our Foundation Degree programme, head straight into an Apprenticeship, or choose one of our brand new T Levels, we have something that'll suit you and your learning style.

T Levels

T Levels are a brand-new 2-year qualification which can be studied after you finish school instead of A Levels, Apprenticeships or vocational study programmes.

T Levels have been created with top employers, and mix classroom learning and industry experience so that you get the skills and knowledge to help you progress into your dream career.

From September 2023 we will be offering the following Childcare T Levels:

Trips, Visits and Competitions

At The Sheffield College, we go further to ensure that you get the best learning and cultural experiences possible to enhance your time with us. We do this through visits to local art exhibitions and museums, having guest speakers come in to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and through visits to major industry leaders so you can see how they go further in the real world.

Work-related Activity and Industry Placements

In this industry experience is key and very important when it comes to applying for a job. That’s why all of our study programmes include industry placements or tasters that will allow you to put your theoretical knowledge to the test, helping you to feel more confident in your abilities when it comes to applying for jobs.

We’ve got brilliant relationships with nurseries throughout Sheffield, including our own brilliant nurseries that are located at our City and Hillsborough Campuses. We also work alongside local schools and other childcare facilities to give you the chance of gaining experience by going on industry placements.

What's in it for me?

  • Improves your job prospects and gain knowledge of the work place in a variety of areas
  • Enhances your employability skills such as communication skills, problem-solving, social skills, time-management, commitment, enthusiasm, flexibility and team work
  • Previous experience of work can help you during interviews and it looks impressive on your CV
  • Helps you understand what motivates you and what you are passionate about so that you can apply this to your future career

Facilities

We know that having the right facilities can make all the difference to your learning, so we’ve invested in the best facilities to make sure that we can help you go further.

Take a look around using our Google 360 tours:

What can I do once I finish my studies?

Learners may decide to enter employment within the early years sector in job roles such as assistants in pre-school, children's centres, day nurseries or nursery schools.

You may even want to look into primary and nursery education where you will plan, organise and provide instruction to children at all levels up to the age of entry into secondary education.

Spotlight on...

Childcare Level 2

While we offer various courses in childcare, lets take a look into Childcare Level 2. This course is designed to give you the knowledge, understanding and practical skills needed for supervised employment in early year settings. It is ideal for learners who would like to work with children and their families, in a variety of different early years settings - for example day care, nursery, out of school care and schools.

Location: City Campus

  • Mode of study: Full-time
  • Duration: 1 year
  • Qualification: BTEC Diploma
  • Start date: September 2022

Careers advice to help you go further 

Choosing a career path when you've only just left school can seem like a daunting prospect, but our Careers Advice Team are on hand to offer you the best impartial careers guidance going.

They can help you to figure out the kind of jobs that you might enjoy based on your interests, skills and hobbies; or if you already have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to do in the future they can give you some pointers on how to go further and land your dream job. You can talk to them whether you're still deciding on a course or even if you're about to make the jump from education into full-time work.

Example careers

Ever wondered how much an accountant is South Yorkshire earns? Or what skills you need to become a developer?

Primary School Teacher

Starting Salary
£13.50/hour

Average Salary
£17.50/hour

High-end Salary
£21.70/hour

Teaching Assistant

Starting Salary
£6.00/hour

Average Salary
£9.00/hour

High-end Salary
£12.00/hour

Early Years Teacher

Starting Salary
£13.50/hour

Average Salary
£16.50/hour

High-end Salary
£19.00/hour

What Courses are available

Childcare and Education icon

Education Access to HE

Hillsborough Campus
Level 3

More info
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