New route for learning from university and training provider
Catherine Gaunt
Friday, September 6, 2013
A new joint pilot by a training provider and a university will offer early years staff a clear route to higher level qualifications.
Early years training provider PBD has linked up with University Campus Suffolk (UCS) to make it easier for students to progress to a degree-level qualification.
From September 2014, students who complete the City and Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Leadership through PBD will be able to skip the first year of the Foundation Degree in Early Years Practice at UCS Ipswich and move straight to the second year.
PBD was one of the first training providers to offer the Level 5 Diploma, which has been available since April, with more than 100 candidates signed up so far.
Ross Midgley, director of PBD, said, 'We are delighted to be working with UCS. The Nutbrown Review identified the lack of progression opportunities for early years staff as a key problem. This unique collaboration creates a clear route all the way from Level 2 through to Early Years Teacher Status.
PBD has designed a short module on higher-level study skills to complement the diploma.
It has also just launched a series of certificates in Advanced Early Years Practice aimed at qualified Level 3 practitioners in a range of job roles.
Based on a selection of units from the diploma, they carry 35-40 credits on the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF), compared with 80-90 for the full diploma.
More information
Visit www.pbdevelopment.co.uk or phone 01440 731731. The certificates cost £950, with an interest free payment plan available. More details on the Early Years Practice Foundation Degree can be found at www.ucs.ac.uk/eyp.
