Working with people with special education needs is something Amy-Lee has always been passionate about, as she is autistic and wants to help people with similar neurodivergence achieve all they can. She is also in the fostering system and wants to help support children in the system as a social worker, so she naturally gravitated towards wanting to study areas that can get her the qualifications she needs for these job roles. She did some research online and decided SERC was right for her. Amy-Lee started her journey at SERC on the Skills for Life and Work course before moving on to her current children’s care traineeship.
On her course, she says, “I think my favourite unit we learn about in class is the play unit; we learn all about how children interact with their environment and others, as well as how they develop through play. We also learn about communication and working in teams, safeguarding children, supporting children with disabilities or special needs, child nutrition and health, and much more.
“The teaching at SERC is really good and there is lots of support available to students in the college. The Learning Support team has been really helpful for me while studying at the college; they give me extra support with assignments as I have dyslexia and help me with writing. I can also get time out of class through them if I am feeling overstimulated. I really like the library at the college too, it’s calm and quiet which is great for getting work done when you need to.
“I’m on placement two days a week in St Josephs Primary School working with P2 children. It’s great experience getting to spend time with the kids, helping them do their work and looking after them during playtime. I really prefer the work-based side of the course as I get to learn hands-on as opposed to just studying theory, and it helps me build my confidence by getting experience in the sector I want to work in.
“After this course, I want to complete the Level 3 Children’s Care course at SERC, and then from there try and get into work as soon as I can. The qualifications I’m getting at the college along with the work experience will really help me when I enter the job market.”
Amy-Lee concludes, “I would recommend SERC, you think you might know all there is to know about something, but my course has taught me there’s always more to understand and learn, which I find really interesting.”
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