College Ambassador promotes Early Years
Meet Charlotte Rae-Woods, one of Ayrshire College’s Early Years Ambassadors. Studying HNC Childhood Practice at the Kilwinning campus, she is helping to promote Early Years as a career choice.
"I’m the eldest in a really big family, so I am used to being with young children. It’s a natural environment for me, so a career in early years really suits me.
"I came straight to college from school. The course is really fast paced, which is great. We’re covering things like childhood development, and learning how that’s related to what happens in a nursery. There’s quite a bit of theory to learn. Because I’m straight out of school, I’m used to writing essays, and academic work, so it’s to my advantage.
"I was on placement two days a week and I worked at St Bridget’s nursery in Kilbirnie until December, and I’ll be moving into the Primary One area of the school in February. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. It’s great to get experience of both areas of the school.
"Another bonus about going on placement is that you get to know all the kids, which is really nice. And, you’re getting a feel for what it’s actually like to work in a nursery. The work is very practical. It gives you the chance to relate the work to what we’ve learned at college so far.
"Now that I’ve had the chance to work in a nursery, I know for sure that I’ve made the right decision. It’s what I want to do!
"The most rewarding thing about working in early years, is knowing that you have helped to develop each child. You’re a big influence on them, and you play a really important role in their development.
"It’s really rewarding, I’d highly recommend it. I work part time, and the course workload is a lot on top of that, but it’s definitely manageable. I’m loving it.
"Once I finish the course, I hope to get a job working in a nursery. I’m happy to be asked to be an Ayrshire College Early Years Ambassador. To let other people know the kind of rewarding career that is available is really great.”
