Level 3 Early Years Practitioner Course. Work-based training at your workplace. You study and practise skills on the job, in a real childcare setting, while earning. This level 3 early years practitioner course covers child development, safeguarding, communication, and planning activities that support children's learning. No formal entry requirements. The course typically takes 18 months. Level 3 is the qualification recognised in statutory staffing ratios for nursery work, so completing this early years practitioner qualification opens doors that lower-level courses cannot.
Who this course is for
Learners will learn, develop and practise the skills required for employment and/or career progression in the Early Years sector.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course.
What you will learn
You'll develop knowledge of child development from birth to five years.
You'll learn how to plan and deliver activities that support children's learning and play.
You'll understand safeguarding responsibilities and how to keep children safe.
You'll practise communication skills with children, families, and colleagues.
You'll learn how to observe and assess children's progress.
You'll understand health, wellbeing, and nutrition in early years settings.
You'll develop skills in supporting children's personal, social, and emotional development.
How you will learn
You learn in your workplace, applying skills directly in your childcare role. Assessment includes observations of your practice in the setting, a portfolio of evidence, and knowledge-based assessments. An assessor will visit you at work to observe and review your progress. You build your portfolio throughout the 18 months, recording how you meet the requirements of the qualification in your day-to-day work.
What you will need to bring
The centre will provide most materials. Vts will confirm anything else you need before you start.
Where next
Jobs you could do
Nursery practitioner: working with children aged 0 to 5 in a nursery
Room leader: leading a room or age-group in a nursery setting
Key person: holding key-person responsibilities for a group of children
Childminder: registered self-employed childcare in a home setting
Early years teaching assistant: supporting learning in a reception class
Playgroup worker: planning and delivering sessions in a preschool
Family support worker: working with families in early intervention services
What you could study next
Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for the Early Years Sector: moves you toward management and leadership roles in nurseries and early years settings.
Early Childhood Studies degree: a university-level route for those wanting to deepen their understanding of child development and policy.
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS): for those who want to lead practice and work toward qualified teacher recognition in early years.
