A New Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship. The Same Swift Way.

Swift’s new Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship is officially live, with 200 learners already enrolled. Here’s what has changed, why we have made those changes and what we have deliberately kept the same.

There are moments when an apprenticeship changes because the rules have changed. And then there are moments when those changes create an opportunity to step back and ask a bigger question: how can we make the experience better for the learner, more meaningful for the employer and more relevant to the profession?

That is how we have approached the new Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship.

Swift’s brand new programme is now officially live, with 200 learners already enrolled, and we are excited to see the first group of learners beginning their journey.

We chose to move early because we genuinely believe there is value in the changes being made to the apprenticeship, particularly the changes to End Point Assessment and what those changes allow us to do differently.

Our Managing Director, Jack Edwards, was involved in the Government Trailblazer group that helped shape those changes. Being part of that process has given us a close understanding of how the new approach has developed and, importantly, the opportunity to think carefully about what it could mean for quality, assessment and the experience of learners and nursery partners.

What Has Changed in the Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship?

One of the biggest changes is that there is no longer an End Point Assessment.

At first glance, that might sound like a significant change to the way an apprenticeship is assessed. But for us, it is really an opportunity to think about what we are actually trying to assess in an Early Years Educator.

Because being a good Early Years Educator is not something that can always be demonstrated in a single moment.

A discussion can tell us what someone knows. Questions can help us explore their understanding. An observation can show us how they apply their learning. All of these things have an important role to play.

But Early Years practice is about consistency. It is about how knowledge, skills and behaviours are applied over time, in real situations, with real children and within the reality of a working nursery.

How Is the New Early Years Apprenticeship Assessed?

That is why we have taken the opportunity to build assessment into the programme itself.

Rather than holding everything back until the end, our new programme includes observation and child study as summative assessments during the 12 to 13 month programme.

This allows us to see learning being applied as the apprentice develops, rather than treating assessment as something that happens after the learning is finished.

It also creates a much stronger connection between the learning taking place and the reality of the workplace.

For an apprentice, that matters. They are not simply working towards an assessment date in the future. Their development is happening alongside their day to day practice.

For a nursery, it matters too. The apprentice’s progress can be seen as part of their development within the setting, rather than simply as a qualification they are working towards.

And ultimately, it matters because the aim of the apprenticeship is not just to produce someone who can pass an assessment.

It is to develop an Early Years Educator.

Developing Confident Early Years Educators, Not Just Qualified Apprentices

That distinction has always been important to us at Swift.

For the last 10 years, we have believed that our role is about much more than helping someone meet the requirements of an apprenticeship standard. Of course, the knowledge, skills and behaviours matter. The qualification matters. Assessment matters.

But they are part of a bigger picture.

We want learners to understand their role, understand children and develop their own professional practice.

We want them to be able to take what they learn and apply it thoughtfully, rather than simply repeat something because they have been told it is the right answer.

That is why we talk about learners becoming their own educator.

Early Years is not a profession where every child, every family or every situation can be approached in exactly the same way. Practitioners need to understand the principles behind their practice and then use their knowledge, experience and professional judgement to respond to the children in front of them.

We want our learners to take influence from different theorists, pedagogies, experiences and perspectives and use those influences to develop their own approach.

Not carbon copies. Their own educator.

What Has Stayed the Same at Swift?

That philosophy has not changed.

In fact, while the new apprenticeship introduces some important changes, one of the things we are most pleased about is how much of the programme has stayed the same.

We have made quality revisions and tweaks based on learner feedback, but we have deliberately kept the award winning programme that we know works.

It remains full of additional learning opportunities, with a strong focus on implementing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship. We continue to bring in industry expertise and extend learning beyond the basic requirements.

We have not added optional extras simply for the sake of having more things to talk about. We have not added shiny objects because they might catch attention.

We have stuck to what we know.

And what we know is that learners need more than a qualification.

They need a strong understanding of the Early Years profession. They need opportunities to put their learning into practice. They need experienced people around them who can challenge, support and guide them. They need meaningful feedback and the opportunity to reflect on what they are doing.

Most importantly, they need to understand not just what they are doing, but why.

That is where we believe a strong apprenticeship can make a real difference.

Why Workplace Learning Matters in an Early Years Apprenticeship

The nursery environment is an important part of that. An apprentice is not simply completing a qualification while also working in a nursery. The workplace is where much of their learning comes to life.

It is where they see theory in practice.

It is where they learn how children respond differently.

It is where they develop relationships with colleagues and families.

And it is where they begin to develop their own professional judgement.

The role of the training provider is to connect those experiences with structured learning, meaningful assessment and the wider knowledge required to become a confident Early Years Educator.

That is what we have tried to do with this new programme.

And while the programme has changed, our approach to quality has not.

Shaping the Future of the Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship

The involvement of Jack Edwards in the Government Trailblazer group has also meant that Swift has been close to the development of the new apprenticeship approach.

That has given us the opportunity to consider not just what the new requirements say, but what they could mean in practice for learners and nursery partners.

Ultimately, though, the test of any apprenticeship is whether it works in the real world.

Does it support the learner?

Does it work for the nursery?

Does it develop someone who can contribute to the setting while continuing to learn?

And does it help create a professional who is ready to continue developing long after the apprenticeship has finished?

Those are the questions that matter to us.

200 Learners Already Starting the New Swift Apprenticeship

Our new Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship is now live, and with 200 learners already enrolled, we have a strong first group of learners beginning this new chapter with us.

We know there will always be things to improve. We will continue to listen to learners, nursery partners and the wider Early Years profession. We will continue to look at how learning, assessment and support can evolve.

But we will do that without losing sight of what we have always believed.

An apprenticeship should not simply create someone who can meet a standard.

It should help create an educator who understands children, understands their role and has the confidence to develop their own practice.

That is what we mean when we say we want learners to become their own educator.

The Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship may be a new model.

But it still feels very much like The Swift Way.

A great programme. Great educators. Great outcomes for settings.