Childcare Apprentice

FIRST STEPS CHILDCARE GROUP LIMITED

West Sussex (PO19 1SB)

Closes in 21 days (Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 8 December 2025

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Summary

Are you passionate about giving children the best start in life and looking for a role that allows you to earn and learn at the same time?  Then this role with First Steps Nursery might just be the perfect opportunity for you to achieve both by working as an Childcare Apprentice working towards an Early Years Apprenticeship Level 2 or 3.

Wage

£14,526.20 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
Monday - Friday all year round. Shifts are 8.5 hours (including a 1-hour unpaid lunch). Shift times vary within the nursery opening hours of 7.30am - 6.00pm

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 2 March 2026

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

As a Childcare Apprentice working with young babies through to children ready to start school, you will share your love for learning and make a real difference in children’s development and learning journeys.

Together with our dedicated and experienced team, you will be a part of ensuring the children are learning, socialising, exploring and having fun. Through your own development as an apprentice, you will gain theoretical knowledge from your study and then have real world opportunities to put this into practice and develop your skills.

What you will do:

  • Work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills and knowledge, undertaking a range of suitable work-related tasks to support your structured programme of training, leading to a recognised qualification
  • Promote a safe, caring and stimulating childcare environment
  • Assist with the organisation and implementation of a programme of activities in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage appropriate to each age group

Key Responsibilities:

  • To ensure that the children are happy, settled and well cared for
  • To deliver a high standard of learning, development and care for children aged 0-5 years
  • To shadow and learn to be a key person for named children and to plan for individual needs and to keep accurate records
  • To ensure that the nursery is a safe environment for children, staff and others
  • To work as part of a team to ensure effective and appropriate communication with parents, carers, members of staff and external agencies
  • To develop partnerships with parents/carers to increase involvement in their child’s development
  • To undertake and be responsible for a range of tasks/duties, as instructed by your line manager, that are relevant to the role
  • To ensure health, hygiene and safety standards are maintained
  • To adhere to all First Steps operational policies and procedures
  • To complete all academic aspects of the apprenticeship

Who you will be:

This role is open for a Level 2 or Level 3 Apprentice so you might:

  • Already have started your career in childcare and have your Level 2 qualification
  • Be looking to start your childcare career and with experience but no formal qualifications
  • A recent school leaver wanting to pursue a career in childcare and looking for your next step

Where you'll work

Westgate Fields
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1SB

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

CHICHESTER COLLEGE GROUP

Training course

Early years educator (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
  • Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
  • Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
  • Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
  • Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
  • Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
  • Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
  • Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
  • Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
  • Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
  • Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
  • Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
  • Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
  • Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
  • Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
  • Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
  • Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
  • Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
  • Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
  • Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
  • Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
  • Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
  • Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
  • Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
  • Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
  • Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
  • Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
  • Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
  • Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
  • Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
  • Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
  • Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
  • Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
  • Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
  • Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
  • Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
  • Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
  • Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
  • Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.

Training schedule

Early Years Educator Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Motivated
  • Flexible
  • Hard-working
  • Compassionate
  • Nurturing

Other requirements

  • Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS)
  • Occasional Evening and Weekend work required
  • Occasional extra training on weekends
  • Possible work at another site on occasions

About this employer

First Steps Nursery currently has nurseries in four locations; Chichester, Brinsbury, Bersted & Worthing. Each of our nurseries is

dedicated to providing a happy environment 51 weeks of the year with convenient, flexible day care session times between 7.30am – 6.00pm.

They believe in providing children with happy, memorable experiences and throughout their time, offering messy play, arts and crafts and for those preparing to start school.

‘Phonics’, Forest School Sessions and a focus on Early Maths and Literacy related activities. Each of the nurseries is proudly led by qualified Early Years practitioners.

https://firststepschildcare.co.uk/chichester/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • Company Pension

After this apprenticeship

  • We strive to ensure that FSCG apprentices are the first choice when permanent qualified positions are available, and ensure training supports this goal
  • We strive to retain our apprentices and support succession planning, and are really proud of the retention rates we have for our previous apprentices, with many of our team, and senior team being previous FSCG apprentices
  • We work closely with CCG around further education and qualification opportunities, and also provide in house training, and access to external training regularly to support continuous professional development

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CHICHESTER COLLEGE GROUP

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000004242.

Apply now

Closes in 21 days (Wednesday 31 December 2025 at 11:59pm)

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