Ali benefits from Skills Bootcamp push for early years sector

An Exeter resident has become one of the first people in the UK to enter the early years industry via a new training initiative designed to address the recruitment crisis.

Ali Noor is due to start in his position as a nursery assistant at Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Pre-School in Sowton in the coming weeks after successfully completing an early years Skills Bootcamp with leading training provider Realise.

Launched earlier in 2024, the early years Skills Bootcamps are designed to help people who have never worked in the sector before – or those who have worked in a nursery setting previously and are looking to return – to complete a course designed to help them gain the skills to secure a job.

Ali began his Skills Bootcamp just weeks after securing a 2:1 qualification from his Theology & Philosophy degree at the University of Exeter.

Ali, who lived on the Isle of Wight before moving to Exeter for his studies in 2020, said: “Working in education or early years was always one of my big career options when I was young and over the last couple of years at university, the desire to work in the sector grew stronger.

“When I completed my degree, I was struggling to make much progress and kept getting turned away due to a lack of experience.

“Starting the Skills Bootcamp changed everything. It was a six-week online course and gave me all the skills I needed to start working in the early years sector and it certainly helped my confidence when I went to the interview.

“The training team from Realise were excellent and the course was manageable but also extremely useful and has set me up for my future career.

“I can’t wait to get started with Kiddi Caru and help children develop during those important early years.”

Realise is looking to create dozens of new recruits to the early years sector in Devon through the Skills Bootcamps, with the demand for nursery places rising dramatically after the extension of government funded childcare support.

Individuals who complete the Skills Bootcamp will be guaranteed an interview for a job with a local nursery and will automatically be eligible to begin a Level 3 apprenticeship when they secure employment.

When beginning his job, Ali will play his part in addressing the shortage of males working in early years, with his national estimates suggesting just 2 per cent of the sector workforce are men.

Ali added: “I’ve thought about that a couple of times but it’s not affecting me. Nurseries seem friendly and inviting environments and I’m looking forward to joining a team dedicated to helping the children develop.”

As well as securing a guaranteed interview, those completing the Skills Bootcamp will also have access to career coaches while the process of receiving enhanced DBS checks will begin during the training.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Skills Bootcamps should visit https://realisetraining.com/course/early-years-skills-bootcamp/