QQI Level 5 Early Childhood Care & Education

Course description

Course Details
Delivered by blended learning with supporting weekend workshops, this Early Childhood Care & Education qualification will give you a recognised qualification that is ideal for those starting a career in Early Childhood Care and Education.

Overview
Are you interested in beginning your career in Early Childhood Care and Education? Portobello Institute’s QQI Level 5 Major Award in Early Years Care and Education is an international qualification that will allow you to begin working in an early years setting. During this eight-month course, the content of the course focuses on caring for the needs of young children preparing you to work in a wide variety of settings. This course is delivered through blended learning which means that you will also have the opportunity to complete a work experience placement in an early years setting to complement your studies. Learners are required to complete a total of 50 hours of work experience. There is an easy payment plan designed to make this programme affordable.

Why should I study this course?
To meet the needs of an expanding ECCE sector Portobello Institute aims to provide a solid, integrated, unified approach to the delivery of ECCE training.  Our Early Childhood courses aim to develop our Learners the highest level of professional competence as practitioners, establishing in them a wide knowledge and a deep understanding of educational practices in conjunction with the principles set down by Síolta: the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Aistear: the Framework for Early Learning.

This qualification meets the minimum requirements set down by the DCYA for those seeking to work with children in an early years setting. You will be qualified to work with children from 0 – 6 within the broader childcare settings.

Who will recognise my qualification?
Upon completing this course, you will hold a QQI Level 5 Major Award in Early Years Care and Education.

Qualifications Frameworks in Ireland and the UK

The Irish and UK qualifications authorities have collaborated on initiatives that promote the transparency, recognition and mobility of qualifications between our respective jurisdictions. The qualifications authorities in the UK and Ireland have agreed the qualifications frameworks in operation, Brexit will not impact this agreement.

What will I study during this Early Childhood Care and Education – QQI Level 5 course?
During this course, you will study the development, learning and well-being of children and their identities in the field of ECCE. You will also develop the key skills needed to work in an early years setting. You will learn about child development theories and how a range of activities can promote physical, social, emotional and intellectual development in children. You will develop the capacity to work and communicate effectively with parents, families, colleagues and other professionals to safeguard, support and promote children’s learning, development and well-being.

Delivery Mode
Many students are seeking a combination of being able to study at a time that suits them but with the support of a tutor and the learning from peers included. Blended learning suits this student perfectly as it is a combination of contact tuition and distance learning. Everything needed to complete the course is available on a web-based learning platform. At the commencement of each module within a course, there will be a tutorial workshop held. This allows students the opportunity to meet their tutors in person and their other classmates. A comprehensive overview of the content of the module, the learning outcomes and assessment requirements are covered during this workshop. A demonstration on how to use the web-based learning platform is given during the induction workshop. The course work is usually given on a week-to-week basis to support you to stay on track. Assessments are uploaded online, and in many cases, a draft of your assessment can be submitted for feedback by your tutor before you submit the final version. Blended Learning for many is the best of both worlds, it gives you the independence and freedom to study at a time suited to you whilst also offering you guidance from expert tutors and the support of a peer to peer network from your fellow classmates.