
It has been good to challenge myself and not just always settle for the easy option. LMC taught me that facing challenges can be an effective way of gaining more skills and it has shown me that there’s so much you can achieve when you put your mind to it.
Lydia Corney decided to study Children's Play, Learning & Development Level 2 as she was one of six siblings and thought this experience could be built upon to help form her career. A year later, Lydia is now on the Children’s Play, Learning & Development Level 3 course where she can continually demonstrate her existing abilities whilst developing new skills within class and on work placement.
Lydia particularly enjoys her work placement opportunities as they are helping her plan for the future:
Placement has been a great way of understanding what it is like to work alongside children, as well as other practitioners and teachers, from a variety of backgrounds. This has allowed me to gain a wider understanding of the industry and is helping me to build a clearer plan of what I want to do in the future.
So far within her course, Lydia described that the key skills she has developed are her confidence, which has led her to be more involved in class discussions, as well as her ability to work effectively in a team with other practitioners. Lydia credits the College for helping her to push herself to improve on these capabilities, saying:
It has been good to challenge myself and not just always settle for the easy option. LMC taught me that facing challenges can be an effective way of gaining more skills and it has shown me that there’s so much you can achieve when you put your mind to it.
Lydia also explained that College has helped her socially, as coming to College has given her the opportunity to meet a range of new people and make some friends for life.
When asked what advice she would give to somebody considering studying the Children’s Play, Learning & Development Level 3 course, Lydia said:
For anyone thinking about doing this course I would say go for it, all the tutors I’ve been taught by have always been so helpful and you receive so much encouragement throughout the course.
All you need to start the Supported Internship course is enthusiasm, motivation, energy and determination. As the course progresses, you will develop your employability, personal and social skills, which will enable you to increase your independence and develop your confidence and self-esteem. All of these new skills will ensure that you are better prepared to enter the workplace as a skilled and effective employee.
If you are interested in working with animals, this is a great course for you! As not only do you gain the knowledge and practical skills to work with animals, but you also gain the employability skills to be able to work in teams and work within the industry. It's important to remember that jobs in the animal industry are not just about working with animals, you need to have the skills to deal with people too!
My favourite part of my role is being able to recall my industry knowledge and then passing it onto my students. The knowledge I have from working in the industry gives the students a better understanding of real life situations and how to transfer their skills into future careers.
The vocational skills development we offer at College are exceptional. The partners we work with are excellent and will help the students to develop further, as well as the opportunities we provide such as the Alicante trip are amazing, and you would struggle to find another college or sixth form that offers similar opportunities.
My favourite part of this role is working with such an amazing team here at Lancaster & Morecambe College, and also being able to pass on my industry knowledge to all my students and support them in their journey to becoming a Beauty Therapist.
Be prepared to work hard and be challenged. The more you put in, the more you will get out of the course. It's a rewarding experience as you can clearly see your skills develop. There is also a great demand for skilled plasterers and the potential for good earnings, so why not give it a go?












