Catherine Barton is 26 and is currently undertaking a Level 3 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury in Birmingham. She decided to do an apprenticeship as she always had the passion to become a Teaching Assistant and this role provided the perfect opportunity for her to kick start her career.
Here is Catherine’s apprenticeship journey so far
‘I chose this apprenticeship programme because I knew I always wanted to be a Teaching Assistant, so when I saw it advertised with a local school I knew it would be the perfect way to start my career, get the work experience I whilst working towards the qualifications to support it.
The main benefits of an apprenticeship programme are endless access to resources, being able to speak with your mentor whenever you need them, and unlimited CPD opportunities with Anspear courses, also being able to learn virtually was very useful.
The best thing about my role is impacting the lives of those I work with, and finding new ways to support and enrich the academic lives of those who need it most.
My workplace mentor is supportive and my LMP tutor Scarlet also really helped me along the way – I couldn’t have done this without her support. Scarlet made herself available to support me not just in my course, but she always made sure I was well and would take the time to calm me and solve problems when I felt I couldn’t.
The most important skill I have learnt is working in a team, using people with more experience and different points of view to create the best support for the students who need it most.
The next step in my career is working in a Special Education Needs school, moving on to my Level 4, and then hopefully an Education/Child related degree. My end goal is to be a part of making a difference in the education system, not just locally but nationally. Therefore, creating a conversation about education that I feel needs to be heard.’
If you are interested in finding out more about the Apprenticeship opportunities available at LMP Education click here https://lmpgroup.bamboohr.com/careers
If you are interested in finding out more about the Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship visit https://lmp-group.co.uk/courses/teaching-assistant/
