Welcome to National Apprenticeship Week! All throughout this week LMP Education will be sharing case studies of our learners to spotlight their hard work and celebrate their successes. Today we are sharing the story of Zoe, a 46-year-old Teaching Assistant apprentice from Badsey First School. Here is her story:
“I started working as a Teaching Assistant just over a year ago and was offered the opportunity to upskill and do this apprenticeship as others in my workplace were already on the course. I was given the information about the course and felt it was exactly what I needed to further my skills.
The main benefit of this programme is that I get to study and do the job at the same time, enabling me to put my learning into practice and develop my skills.
The best thing about my role as a Teaching Assistant is the ability to make a difference in the classroom, to be able to give support to those that need it and be a part of shaping young people’s lives, it is an incredibly rewarding role.
I have been incredibly well supported on this programme, by both my employer and my LMP tutor. My line manager at work is a constant support, helping me to understand my role and challenge me to reach my goals, she will always help me with any aspect of the programme and gives me feedback to help me develop as a teaching assistant. My LMP tutor is always happy to help me and responds quickly when I need support on an assignment, he ensures that I understand the tasks and we have regular check-ins to discuss new areas of learning.
One of the most important skills I have learnt on this course is behaviour management, this was an area I found very difficult and lacked confidence with. With the help of my employer and LMP tutor who showed me how to set short- and long-term goals in this area, I now feel confident being in the classroom and am happy to supervise the class by myself.
I was very nervous about starting this programme as it had been a long time since I had written assignments or studied but this course has shown me that I can develop my career and continue to learn. As I am nearing the end of my programme I have been talking to my tutor about next steps, I think I would now like to continue learning and may take a HLTA course or a Specialist Teaching Assistant course, specialising in SEND or pastoral care.”
Best of luck in the future, Zoe!
Are you looking to start a career in teaching? Explore our Teaching Assistant Development Programme!
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