Westbury project bridges childcare skills gap

Six new learners from Westbury celebrated the completion of a new childcare course, thanks to joint funding of more than £8,000 from the Westbury Area Board and Sovereign Housing.
With a noted shortage of childcare providers in the West Wiltshire area, the newly-qualified residents are keen to move on to the next phase of the course, after getting their NCFE CACHE level 1 award in Caring for Children.
Petra Millar said, “I’ve always wanted to work in childcare, but was afraid to go back to college because I am dyslexic. But when I saw this opportunity right near where I live, I just couldn’t pass it up, and now I’m moving on to study the next level of qualification.”
Martin Button, who also took part in the course said, “I nearly walked out on the first day, I felt out-numbered by women! But I soon settled in and started to really gain from the course. I hope to work with young offenders, so this was a really good grounding for me.”
Scott Jacobs Lange, Sovereign Communities officer said,“We consulted with our residents in Westbury West to find out what courses they wanted. Childcare was the top priority. We worked with the Westbury Community Project to create this local learning opportunity.
“A grant from the Westbury Area Board and funding from Sovereign helped to buy laptops and cover the cost of venue hire. The course was provided by Wiltshire College. Because of a shortage of childcare workers locally, Wiltshire Council’s childcare team also met learners to offer advice about securing work in the sector.”
Sovereign is continuing to work with the Westbury Community Project and other partners to build a clearer understanding of adult learning needs in Westbury West.