Bianca found a cost-effective way to study, develop practical skills and find her love for educating children through the Northern Beaches & Mosman College.
As a Year 12 graduate, Bianca was undecided on which direction her career would take. “I was quite hesitant about what I wanted to do,” Bianca says, adding that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to university.
She had tried hairdressing and was completing a beauty course at TAFE while working a casual job in childcare when her manager at the Rainbow Childcare Centre in Narraweena offered her a traineeship through the Northern Beaches & Mosman College (NBMC). It meant she could study for a Certificate III in Early Childcare at NBMC, while earning money working at Rainbow Childcare three days a week.
As Bianca met the NSW government funded traineeship requirements, she didn’t have to pay a cent to earn her certificate. This was a drawcard for Bianca, who was hesitant to spend thousands of dollars doing a university degree before knowing exactly what career she wanted to pursue.
Three years on, Bianca has not only achieved her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, but has gone on to study and complete the next level qualification through NBMC, a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care. Now she is a student at the University of New England, studying a Bachelor of Education (ages 0 to 5), and has a clear career direction in mind.
With a supportive teacher, flexible learning options and practical learning specific to the job skills she needed, Bianca Villella found a love for educating children through her NBMC courses.
“If you have a passion for kids it’s definitely a great starting point…the traineeship is free and paid for,” Bianca says.
Bianca found the course fit in easily around her work at the childcare centre. The majority of the content was delivered online, and Bianca could complete it at her own pace. Plus she was supported by an NBMC trainer, Michelle Kirkpatrick who would visit Bianca’s workplace on a regular basis to offer one-on-one feedback in person.
“Michelle provided me with a lot of support and teaching over time. She would go through the assessments and explain each part and she would give me examples of her own experience which really helped,” Bianca says. Michelle also encouraged Bianca to take the next steps on completing each of her courses, furthering her education and career, and was quick to respond to any questions Bianca had about her learning.
“Doing the Certificate III definitely gave me a lot more confidence,” Bianca says, adding that it developed her skills in interacting with the children and engaging them in fun, educational activities. She learned how to create a safe and secure environment, and came away with a strong knowledge on how to do daily observations on the children. “It gave me a lot of scenario examples, which was really good because I could relate them back to my work.”
The practical assessments were interactive, with Bianca following daily checklists and creating experiences like singing with the children – which Bianca says helped to bring out her personality and left her feeling more comfortable in her role at work. She completed her Certificate within a year.
Moving onto the Diploma, which was also fully funded and therefore free, had Bianca studying the concepts in more depth using critical thinking – at no cost to her hip-pocket. Better still, Bianca’s completed Diploma has been recognised by the university, and she has been given credits towards her degree for topics already covered, shortening the length of her degree.
Bianca’s advice for school leavers who are thinking of undertaking a course at NBMC is simple. “Just go for it, don’t be afraid to do something,” she says. “There’s lot of help around, especially for trainees and everyone in the industry is helpful as well.”
NBMC is a not-for-profit organisation located in Brookvale, which provides a number of accredited training courses in areas like business, childcare, counselling, aged care and more. For more information, visit nbmc.nsw.edu.au
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care: CHC30125
