Health and Early Years Classes Receive Career Insight from Speakers

SERC Lisburn campus Level 2 and Level 3 Children’s Care, Learning and Development students, as well as Level 2 Health and Social Care students, recently received visits from Tinylife and Sure Start. 

Tinylife, Northern Ireland’s premature and vulnerable baby charity provide a range of support services for families of premature babies locally, and support research that ensures every pregnancy has the best chance of a healthy outcome and healthy baby.  

Sure Start supports young children and their families living in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland – the programme focuses on enhancing a child's learning skills, health and well-being, as well as social and emotional development.  

Catherine Black, School Liaison Officer for Tinylife, and Denise Rogers, Project Co-Ordinator for Sure Start, visited Early Years and Health and Social Care students recently. Both speakers delivered engaging presentations, sharing their organisations’ missions, services, and real-world resources, such as knitted cardigans and interactive play materials for the children they support, giving the students a hands-on insight into their work. The speakers also shared their personal career journeys with the classes, as well as a Q&A session, which offered students a better understanding of the diverse pathways their studies can lead them. 

SERC Early Years Lecturer Mandy Flavin comments, “The talks really supported new and returning students in understanding some job roles available within the sector. It is widely recognised that early years qualifications can support students into job roles such as classroom or nursery assistants, however, these talks enabled the students to broaden their understanding of some relevant job roles within the community and voluntary sector and the services they provide for young children. It was also a great opportunity to inspire new students as they learned about others’ educational journeys into the field. This all aligns nicely with the courses studied across Children’s Care, Learning and Development and Health and Social Care, as we begin to delve into important course units such as Contexts and Principles and Supporting Children’s Development.” 

“A heartfelt thank you to Catherine and Denise for their time, insights, and the generous resources and goodie bags shared with our students!” 

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