When our who’s who this week first walked through the doors of Suzan Johnston, we knew immediately she was a force to be reckoned with. Impressively experienced and fiercely passionate about the children’s services industry, Tina has a profound dedication not only to quality childcare training, but also to the students she has under her wings in both the Certificate 3 in Childcare and Diploma in Childcare courses.
My time in the child care industry spans well over 30 years! I started off without any training in a nationally recognised childcare course, as was the norm in those days. But I very quickly realised the importance of formal child care training, and that with it comes the right knowledge and the power to change the industry for the better. I clearly remember working at the childcare centre by day and studying my child care course by night while also raising a family of three boys.
How long have you been a trainer for the nationally recognised child care course?
When I first started out in childcare training, I discovered this wonderful training organisation (Suzan Johnston Australia!) who shared the same passion I have for the industry. I have been a part of the childcare training team here for the past three years.
I currently train the full-time students for the CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care but also substitute occasionally as a trainer for the CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care students.
As a trainer, what do you think are the benefits of students undertaking formal qualifications in child care training here at Suzan Johnston Australia?
I started off my career without any certificates in child care, and everything I learned in my early days prior to gaining formal qualifications was pretty much through on-the-job training.
These days, with strict industry requirements and standards, it is simply impossible for someone to just “step into the job”! By completing a nationally recognised childcare course, whether it’s the Certificate III in child care or the Diploma in childcare, students today walk into their roles with a strong background and understanding of many aspects of the industry.
The Cert 3 in Childcare course benefits both the young students just finishing secondary education as well as mature age students looking to start a career in early childhood education. It forms a strong basis of knowledge that students can build on as they progressively gain practical experience.
The Diploma in Early Childhood Education then further builds on that underpinning foundation and prepares the students for the responsibility of leading a room and potentially running a centre. It is also an excellent qualification for more mature students holding an older Certificate III in Children’s Services who are looking to update their qualifications through recognition of prior learning.
I honestly have many favourite units within my current Diploma in Early Childhood Course! If I really have to pick, then the unit on Analyse Information to Inform Learning as well as the one on Design and Implement the Curriculum to Foster Children’s Learning and Development would have to be my top two.
Together, these two “power” units place emphasis on the educator gaining comprehensive knowledge about each individual child’s likes, dislikes, interests and background. From there, students learn to extract the information needed to develop extensions of learning that will take place in the room. All of this information is then recorded to provide a clear map of how they will proceed in educating a particular child.
For as long as I have been training in the classroom, I know the part students enjoy the most is the hands-on experiences we do in class as well as the excursions we go on throughout the childcare training. And we do go on quite a few excursions – we spend an entire day visiting my previous centre at Eltham, we visit the Resource Rescue Centre, and we visit local book stores for research on program-related activities, which the Diploma of Childcare students find really beneficial
My greatest sense of pride during the past three years of training the Diploma of Early Childhood Education & Care is when I visit a student during their work placement and see them put into place all that we have been discussing in class. It is clear evidence that I am able to impart the right industry knowledge and dedication that often times also results in the student being offered a job with their host centre!
I can easily foresee that within the early childhood education industry, employers will be looking for quality educators who are confident with the Early Years Learning Framework! Educators not only need to have respectable childcare training, but they must also be able to demonstrate initiative, think outside the norm, and push boundaries.
Learn More Today
Do you want more information on our CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education & Care or CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education & Care courses? To learn more about our nationally recognised childcare courses, please visit www.sjaustralia.com.au or call us on (03) 9654 0999 to speak with one of our friendly consultants.
