It’s our mission to change the perception that workers in childcare are under qualified and poorly paid. It’s so crucial that people continue to work in the early years sector and help nurture our adults of tomorrow.
What makes a Co-op Childcare apprenticeship special?
The childcare industry has never been more important than it is today. And choosing an apprenticeship with Co-op Childcare means you’ll be in great hands.
But did you know that the minimum wage for an apprentice in the UK is £4.30 an hour? Most childcare providers pay you just that, however with us you’ll be paid the same salary as all our colleagues starting out with us - that's £9.23 an hour. That's more than twice the standard apprenticeship wage!
Our apprentices can expect to:
- Earn a national living wage while you learn
- Work towards your Level 2 or 3 qualification
- Be provided with a mentor to guide you
- Join passionate teams and a company who can help you grow from apprentice, to nursery manager, or even to a Chief Operating Officer. The sky’s the limit!
With Co-op Childcare, it’s a fantastic time for anyone to begin a rewarding, fun-packed career in early years education! So start your journey by applying now.
Bev Capewell, Head of HR at Co-op Childcare, said: “We want everyone who enters our apprenticeship scheme to feel supported every step of the way. We give them experiences with different age groups while nurturing them, protecting them, and guiding them through each day, because we want our apprentices to become our future teams.”
We also provide 20% “off-the-job training”, this means that for 20% of the time our apprentices are taught outside of their normal working responsibilities. We think that this helps give our apprentices the best training possible, with no loss of salary – we pay you to learn.
Bev added: “An apprenticeship weaves into every single one of our values:: Democracy, Openness, Equality, and Social Responsibility. Childcare has an absolutely key role to play in today’s society, and thankfully, society is starting to recognise how important our skills are.”
What do our apprentices say?
Abigail and Tianna are two of our current apprentices, and work at Madley Park Nursery in Witney. They have both recently started their apprenticeships, so let’s see what they have to say about their time with Co-op Childcare so far.
Tianna
Tianna has been working with Co-op Childcare for just over a week. She is still learning the children’s names, but says that both the little ones and the staff have been helping her along the way. She said: “It’s tiring, but absolutely brilliant. The best moments so far have involved seeing the children playing, because it’s lovely seeing them happy. Whenever I see them crying I just call them over and try to help.”
A few years ago, Tianna saw a play specialist in action in a children’s ward, and the inspiring experience made her want to become one too.
She said: “Seeing that play specialist working made me think that I could help children by making everything into a game, or making the world seem more amazing to them. I think that doing an apprenticeship with Co-op Childcare is the best route to take for my career.”
Abigail
Abigail chose to do an apprenticeship because it is a “hands-on” qualification, which she thinks is a more effective way to learn a childcare role than through a college course. One of the reasons she chose to do her apprenticeship with Co-op Childcare was because she had seen excellent reviews online from past team members.
Abigail, who has been with Co-op Childcare for 5 weeks, said: “I’m enjoying getting to know the children and the team, and learning all their different personalities. It’s not easy, but learning the right way to act in each situation takes away some of that difficulty.”
She says that she hopes her current Level 2 apprenticeship is just the start of her childcare career. “I’m hoping to qualify by January next year, and then move on to Level 3.”
Our apprenticeships
Our apprenticeship scheme is our way of offering a route into the childcare sector for anyone who has limited experience in childcare but the right amount of passion.
We offer Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships, plus the chance to progress even further.
If you are passionate about helping children, would you thrive in an apprenticeship with Co-op Childcare?