Nursery workers seek to inspire others to join sector with new webinar

People working in local nurseries will go online in the new year to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

A range of people will be heard explaining how rewarding and fulfilling the work can be, in an interactive webinar.

The series will run during Portsmouth Aspirations Week on Monday 17 January from 4 pm to 5 pm.

Aspirations Week is a week-long initiative designed to help children, young people and adults learn new skills, achieve qualifications and progress in their careers.

The webinar, called Teach Portsmouth Presents Early Years Education is a virtual information event for parents/carers, young people and professionals designed to showcase a range of careers in nurseries, supporting children aged up to four.

Councillor Suzy Horton, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council said:

“Teach Portsmouth’s webinar series is a great way to learn about careers in early years, primary, secondary and post-16 settings. The profession is alive with incredible opportunities and the pandemic has shone a light on the need to recruit qualified people to support children at the very start of their lives. We need the right type of people to become nursery practitioners who understand the rewards and challenges of working with children. The webinar is the perfect introduction that will provide the information people need to kick start a career in early years education.”

Webinar host, Mindy Butler, childcare and early years manager at Portsmouth City Council will take people step by step through the process starting with training to becoming a qualified professional.

An apprentice, nursery practitioner and nursery manager will join Mindy and share their own experiences of working in the city.

Mindy said: “I understand the huge rewards a career in early years can bring after setting up my own nurseries before joining Portsmouth City Council. The webinar is an amazing opportunity for those considering their next steps after school and interested in becoming a nursery practitioner. Those already working in the sector and want to progress into management will also find the webinar useful.

“Aspirations Week is a chance for us to celebrate the amazing work practitioners do but also a way for us to inspire others to consider joining the profession.”

The webinar will present nursery work as being more than just looking after children. Perceptions around the job will be challenged as well as showcasing the responsibilities an apprentice will have at the very start of their training.

To support those who are new to early years education, those who attend the webinar will be able to submit questions as part of a live Q&A session.

For more information on the webinar, visit teachportsmouth.co.uk/webinar or search ‘Teach Portsmouth’ online.

Teach Portsmouth work to recruit, retain and grow the best teachers and leaders for Portsmouth. It is part of the Portsmouth Education Partnership which is supported by Portsmouth City Council and education providers across the city.