Tip-top training: Qualifications and apprenticeships

The Early Years Alliance is a skilled and experienced Matrix-accredited training provider, delivering apprenticeships for the last 14 years with a specific focus on early years, supporting the Alliance’s overall mission: to ensure that all children, regardless of background, are given the best possible start in life.

We currently offer the following apprenticeships:

Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Apprenticeship (12-month training and End-Point Assessment)
Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship (18-month training and End-Point Assessment)

An apprenticeship is an excellent way to upskill your team, enabling them to gain a full and relevant qualification to provide the best to children in their care.

The Early Years Alliance training team understands the value of apprenticeships and strives to provide learners of all ages with the best possible experience. Our programmes are designed to provide the necessary skills and training for learners, combining work and study to achieve an Ofsted-recognised qualification while gaining hands-on, practical experience.

There’s no need for college attendance with an Alliance apprenticeship, as teaching and learning is delivered through:

monthly online classroom sessions by one of our experienced and highly-qualified assessors
online EduCare courses around the monthly topics
1:1 sessions via Teams to support understanding of the knowledge and skills needed to succeed
regular observations of practice in the workplace
monthly End-Point Assessment surgeries via Teams on different topics and an opportunity to ask any questions
mock multiple-choice and professional discussions to prepare for End-Point Assessment
our team, who are here to support all learners, individualising the programme to suit different learning styles as needed.

We have a personal development programme for all learners to support wellbeing, mental health, safeguarding, and the Prevent duty, as well as information advice and guidance on progression opportunities. Functional Skills in maths and English are supported where necessary through the apprenticeship.

We also build positive working relationships with employers, so the apprentice is supported in all areas of their training, offering:

12-week progress reviews to look at progress and set next targets.
monthly End-Point Assessment surgeries for managers on different topics to build confidence supporting apprentices as well as an opportunity to ask questions.

Feedback from an employer:

“The Training Centre has been an amazing support and help for us. When I employed an apprentice, they were there at the other end of the phone/email with support not just for the apprentice but for the setting as a whole.

"Having a training provider with staff who have a wealth of knowledge really helped my apprentice to gain the learning and understanding to develop her practice in childcare […] it’s amazing to see the big difference from the start to the end of when she qualified; she’s become a confident practitioner who both has and is supporting other staff in developing their professional development.”

Tip-top training: qualifications and apprenticeships