My Journey From Apprentice To Teacher By Mae Lugar

My name is Mae Lugar and I am currently an Early Years Skills Tutor for Woodspeen. I was an Early Years apprentice in 2015 - 2017

What were your reasons for starting the programme?

I was never a very academic person and struggled to learn in school. I left school having just scraped by in my GCSE’s and knew I didn’t want to go to traditional college or sixth form, I was ready for the working world and to build my skills and gain some more qualifications through practical learning. I knew I enjoyed working with children from doing work experience in a nursery when I was in school. I applied for an apprenticeship at a nursery local to me and completed my Early Years apprenticeship there for two years. Once I had gained this qualification, I was able to move to working in the Early Years department of a school and gained experience working with older children in the school, completing my foundation degree and then eventually full degree in Education while working full time. Gaining a degree is something I never thought I would be capable of doing due to my struggles academically in school, and I strongly believe if I had not gone into the working world and completed my apprenticeship straight after school, I would not have had the confidence to do it. My apprenticeship gave me the skills and knowledge to become a very employable individual and achieve so much at a young age. After my degree I trained as an assessor and now work as an Early Years Skills Tutor for Woodspeen supporting learners to start on their learning journeys as I had done. 

What was your proudest moment?

Throughout my learning journey, whether that was completing my apprenticeship or degree, I have always worked full time and it has been hard doing this alongside completing a qualification and there were times when I felt like giving up, but had to constantly remind myself of how far I’d come, and look to the future and the benefits this qualification would give me once completed. Completing qualifications while working alongside this, (aside from the qualification itself), shows potential future employers that you are committed, dedicated, and compete things you start.  

Give us an inspired quote

“The success I have had in my career so far, from gaining my degree to becoming an assessor and teacher myself, I credit largely to the apprenticeship I completed so early on after leaving school with no confidence in myself and my abilities. It cannot be understated how beneficial apprenticeships can be for kick starting young peoples careers”. 

Learn more about our early years apprenticeships or contact the team now to see how we can help your setting access apprenticeships.