Careers Brief - Early Years FdA
Overview
Your part-time Foundation degree in Early Years will provide you with both a nationally recognised qualification and evidence of your ability in your field. You will also have the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree.
Apart from the knowledge and experience gained from your training, you will have developed effective transferable skills useful in a range of jobs. Key skills such as: teamworking, time-management, planning, being persuasive, written and verbal communication.
To clarify your personal career direction or to consider a wider choice of careers (matched to your interests) use the Prospects Planner www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pplanner/ and other tools in the Career Planning section of this Careers Guide.
Go to the website links below to find out more.
Further Study
You will be able to apply for a top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as direct progression from Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree, though entry may be selective.
Alternatively, you could transfer onto a related Honours degree. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be the final year.
Go to http://onlineservices.bournemouth.ac.uk/courses/ for information on the BA (Hons) Early Years Care and Education Top-up (full or part-time) studied at Bournemouth University and designed as a progression from this course.
Other institutions offering related Top-ups include:
University of Bath; Bath Spa University; University of Bedfordshire; Birmingham City University; Blackburn College; Bradford College; Croydon College; Doncaster College; Farnborough College of Technology; University of Gloucestershire; University of Greenwich; Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education;
University of Huddersfield; Leeds Metropolitan University; University of Lincoln; Newcastle College; Norwich City College of Further & Higher Education; Somerset College of Arts & Technology; University Campus Suffolk; University of Worcester.
To search degree courses go to www.ucas.com (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.
You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.
Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Go to the university/college website for information on course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.
With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you may progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.
For information on postgraduate study and finance, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm .
Go to the main section Further Study in this Guide for more information and help.
Useful Links
www.prospects.ac.uk/teaching_advice.htm
Graduate Prospects - national careers website for HE students studying in the UK:
Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'What do graduates do?'
Drop down 'Jobs' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' to use Prospects Planner
Training and Development Agency for Schools - for teaching and support staff roles
Social Care and Social Work Careers information site - including social work training and jobs in social care without a degree
Working in the NHS - find out about careers in the NHS in England and look for jobs
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/
Government Careers Advice service
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Government Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles' for 'Education and Training' + 'Healthcare' + 'Social Work and Counselling Services'
www.guidance-research.org/future-trends/earlyyears/
Warwick Institute for Employment Research - Early years education, childcare and playwork
Community Care magazine online - including jobs and employer search
The Guardian newspaper online - a key source for current education news and jobs
TES - The Times Educational Supplement online for current education news and jobs
Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for advice and help with making applications.
