The Community Employment Childcare Training and Development Programme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed and other disadvantaged people to get back to work by offering part-time and temporary placements in jobs, based in Portlaoise and the wider Laois area.

The aim of this programme is to provide CE participants interested in pursuing a career in childcare with training and qualifications in the childcare sector, quality experience, and a clear career path.

If you are currently out of work and have an interest in pursuing a career in childcare, the Community Employment Childcare Training and Development Programme can provide the necessary training and qualifications to help you embark on the right path.

You will be supported in acquiring the skills to deliver professional childcare services through a range of training and educational courses. Importantly, you will be exposed to the real-world scenarios that comprise a busy childcare facility, with supervised placement in a creche enabling you to gain firsthand knowledge of the demands involved in delivering early years care.

Participants can take up other part-time work during their placement. After the placement, participants are encouraged to seek permanent part-time and full-time jobs elsewhere based on the experience and new skills they have gained while in a Community Employment scheme.

This is a three-year programme of formal learning and work experience leading to a NFQ Level 5 qualification in early childhood care and education. Places on the CE Childcare Training and Development Programme are co-ordinated by a dedicated CE-sponsored childcare scheme in Laois partnership Company.

For more information, contact the Community Employment Supervisor, Emer O’Loughlin, by emailing [email protected].