Level 3 Early Years diploma group story

“What an amazing group of online learners,” WEA Tutor Julia said. “This has been a new course, and they have exceeded all expectations.”

Talking about how the group supported each other, Claire said: “It was the way we all interacted, the way we all made time for each other. No one was ever negative about anybody else’s comments, it was all very much positive.”

“It was like a whole collective,” Emma Jsaid. “All of us all together, we worked as a team.”

“We helped each other submit our assignments on time!” Olufunke added.

They are a dedicated and motivated group and I have been privileged to be their tutor.

Julia Goldsboro

The group were winners of the WEA Learner Group Award at the 2022 WEA awards.

“Learners had to complete placement hours and all learners found their own placements by approaching local early years settings,” Julia explained in her nomination. “They had to carry out many tasks to complete 32 units! The level of their research and knowledge and understanding of early years practice has impressed me.”

“Most of the learners have either continued on to volunteer in early years settings, some have found paid employment, and two learners that were in paid employment were given a promotion once their certificate arrived.”

Video transcript: Olufunke
I'm Olufunke

Clarie
I'm Claire

Emma
And I'm Emma and we've won the Learners group Award!

Claire
I mean I was at play group one day and they sort of mentioned that there was some courses going. I had a look and I saw that it was for a Working in Early years so I made the application and that's where it started.

Emma
And my learning journey started from when I was doing a Level 2 and I've just progressed onto a Level 3.

Olufunke
I saw the um the letter to my post I mean to my email from a nursery so I applied, passed the assessment it has been a great journey for me.

Claire
Well it's a bit hard for us to say, because obviously we don't know what other people saw in us. I can only assume that it is the way we all interacted, the way we all had time for each other you know there was never a no one ever was negative about anybody else's comments it's all very very much positive.

Emma
it was like a cold like Collective flight to give all of us all together and we was all putting in our own our own levels of of of knowledge and I mean we just worked as a team to accomplish...

Olufunke
People with the assignments submit on time and then that's it

Claire
It made you feel like you weren't doing it on your own so even when it wasn't online, or if we'd managed to communicate with each other outside of the online lessons, you always felt you had others to fall back on more, you know some enthusiasm, and then just in general we all felt a group it was nice.

Claire
I mean shocked at first but the way that the group has integrated and the way we've all been with each other it's not surprising.

Olufunke
There's going to be any award so what I didn't know if there's going to be anything. When I saw the hall for the first time I wonder what yeah and we are going to the house of the House of Lords!

Claire
You know it was a good group everyone got on everyone interacted well and it just yeah it made it a whole pleasant experience it's great

“They have achieved all of this through very difficult circumstances. Many lost family to Covid, many have struggled with personal circumstances, and continued attending the course and completing work.”