Childcare Apprentice

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

ESSENTIAL

Show correct behavior and attitude

• Being fair and being able to treat people with respect
• To be polite and positive

Show commitment to work or project

• To be responsible for carrying out the duties and responsibilities of an apprentice role to the highest possible level
• To fulfill all duties required

Work as part of a team

• Ability to work in a team
• To contribute to team meetings and communicate regularly and effectively with other team members

Communicate with confidence

• The ability to communicate with confidence in Welsh and English
• The ability to demonstrate the right skills to be able to communicate correctly for any audience

Being ready to learn

• To commit to your development to fulfill your job and the apprenticeship
• Continually identify personal development needs and act on them

Understand what it takes to work for the Council

• Understand the challenges that face us as a Council
• Take advantage of opportunities to be creative
• Ensure that you put the people of Gwynedd at the center of everything you do

Be in possession of a full and valid driving licence

DESIRABLE

QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT TRAINING

ESSENTIAL

Qualified to at least level 2 meeting the following requirements:

Either

• 4 GCSEs grade D or above (grade C or above in mathematics)
• Level 2 vocational qualification (e.g. BTEC First Level 2 Diploma)

For your information, any combination of qualifications with an equivalent grade will be acceptable

DESIRABLE

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

SKILLS AND SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL

DESIRABLE

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
ESSENTIAL

LISTENING AND SPEAKING - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Able to maintain a fluent conversation on a number of various everyday subjects,and discuss cases involving the field of work.
Able to follow a discussion in Welsh, in Clear Welsh, on familiar matters relating to the post. Able to contribute to the conversation and answer questions.

READING AND COMPREHENSION - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Understand everyday correspondence on familiar issues at work.
Understand longer reports in Clear Welsh and be able to pick up the main points. (help may be required with the vocabulary).

WRITING - INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Able to write letters for a specific purpose, e-mails and short reports in Welsh and English, using vocabulary and simple phrases that are familiar to the field of work. (They will need to be checked before being sent out).

Purpose of the Post

• Receive experiences and support in the workplace to complete an apprenticeship
• To contribute as a team member within the Department
• Ensuring that the people of Gwynedd are central to everything we do

Responsibility for functions . e.g. staff, budgets, equipment

Main Duties

Overview

Plas Pawb Nursery is located in Caernarfon and offers quality care and education for children aged three months and older and school-aged children.

There is a Baby's room, an Older Children's Room and an after school club in the nursery. Full or part time places are offered along with a school term childcare scheme only. The nursery is also registered to provide Flying Start childcare places.

There are four safe play areas for the children to play with dedicated resources to offer children wide opportunities. The nursery plays a key role within the Plas Pawb Integrated Center to offer a variety of services to families in the area.

When offering care for children, it is possible to offer the parents/carers opportunities to attend sessions and courses on site through the service of the Family Support team, Families First and the Flying Start scheme.

Here is a taste of some of the possible topics:

• Understanding child development
• Understand how to protect children's welfare
• Understand how to work in partnership with children's services
• Understand how to support positive outcomes for children
• Understand the principles of the duty of care in health and social care in the field of children

We want to attract applicants who are interested in the Childcare field. We will welcome candidates of all ages and from various backgrounds, with a range of experiences, achievements and in some cases, candidates who have already completed qualifications.

All apprentices will be expected to demonstrate the following:

• Correct behavior and attitude
• Commitment to work
• Contribute to success
• Working as part of a team
• Communicate with confidence
• Willingness to learn
• Awareness of what is required to work for the Council

Here is an overview of the main duties of the job:

Contribute towards planning and implementing appropriate programs of activity for the children in collaboration with the Nursery Manager, Nursery leaders and other staff, including students. Activity programs will be held through the medium of Welsh.

To assist the Nursery leader in transferring high quality care, ensuring that the children's physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative and developmental needs are met.

Have a full understanding of the Nursery's record keeping system and contribute towards observing and recording the development of individual children, using the key worker system.

Work alongside the manager and staff to ensure the provision of a range of stimulating equipment, activities and exhibitions, indoors and outdoors, relevant to the children's ages and needs.

Ensuring that the play areas, whether indoors or outdoors, are safe, happy and caring environments, which encourage the children to play freely.

Assist in providing a high quality service that meets the needs of all children attending the nursery, ensuring that due consideration is given to nation, culture, race, religion, language and disability.

Being in contact with parents/carers and encouraging them to participate in their child's development and their placement in the nursery.

Respect and follow the arrangements of the parents/carers for babies and toddlers who attend the nursery.

Assisting with a pick-up service for children from school.

Assist in providing a healthy balanced diet for all children who attend the nursery, including preparing food, assisting with feeding the children, ensuring that mealtimes are social occasions, and clearing up after mealtimes.

Follow policies and procedures specified by Gwynedd Council and Plas Pawb Nursery.

Familiarize yourself with, as well as follow the National Minimum Standards for full day care as outlined in the registration guidelines of the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW).

Sharing the responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children in the nursery, as outlined in the All Wales Child Protection Procedures.

Ensure continuous possession of working knowledge of the principles and objectives of the Flying Start project.

Foster good working relationships with an understanding of external agencies and other professionals involved in the development and care of individual children.

Take responsibility for continuous personal development, by attending relevant training courses in order to have the latest knowledge of legislation and rules relevant to the job. The post holder is expected to be prepared to work towards securing a nationally recognized vocational qualification, e.g. NVQ 3.

Attend the team's weekly meetings, and take part in individual monthly meetings and annual appraisals with the Nursery Manager or Leader.

Assist in the day-to-day domestic management of the nursery, including ensuring that the nursery is kept safe and clean at all times.

Ensure that specific childcare tasks are completed to the expected standards, including helping children with feeding, changing clothes and toileting, and including changing nappies; maintaining high standards of hygiene at all times; giving comfort and warmth to a poor child; and report any signs of illness or injury, or concerns about abuse.

Carry out the duties giving full consideration to Health and Safety.

Being able to work effectively with others while demonstrating a clear understanding of the importance of Equality.

Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council's Information Management standards and guidelines.

Commit to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan and to encourage others to take positive action towards reducing the Council's carbon footprint.

Responsibility for self development

Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy.

Act within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.

Responsibility for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management standards and guidelines. Ensure that personal information is handled in compliance with Data Protection legislation

A commitment to reduce the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan and encourage others to take positive action towards reducing the Council's carbon footprint.

Undertake any other equivalent and reasonable duty that matches the salary level and level of responsibility of the position.

Responsibility to report a concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused

Special Circumstances . e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.

Working hours to be confirmed, but the post holder will be asked to work on a flexible rota from 8 in the morning to 6 at night

The Department runs an ongoing training and personal skills development programme. An Appraisal Plan is implemented which contributes towards that provision. The post holder is expected to participate in the programme.
The ability to communicate in Welsh and English is essential