Early Learning and Childcare Academy 26/27 - Applications

Overview

This Early Learning and Childcare Academy is supported by the Department for the Economy and delivered in partnership with Belfast Met College (BMC), Belfast. It will provide up to 16 individuals with the skills to take up early learning and childcare roles with one of the supporting companies: 

• Sleepy Hollow Group - Belfast, Lisburn, Newtowabbey, Bangor, Holywood
• Clear Day Nurseries -  Bangor, Belfast, Dundonald, Glengormley, Lurgan, Portadown, Lisburn

The Early Learning and Childcare Academy is an intensive 10 week training course providing practical knowledge and real-world experience required to work in the sector and will take place in person at Belfast Met, Castlereagh Campus

Participants will develop skills including play facilitation, observation techniques, storytelling, child development inclusive practice, manual handling and fire safety.

Those selected for the Academy will also study accredited training modules including:

• Safeguarding
• First Aid
• Food Hygiene

Participants will also study an OCN Level 2 qualification in Infant Mental Health. This accredited qualification will provide participants with a deeper understanding of early childhood development, including the importance of secure attachments, emotional wellbeing, and the impact of early experiences on long-term development. It will also equip learners with practical strategies to support infants’ social and emotional needs within a childcare setting. 

There will also be an opportunity to put these skills into practise during 6 days of placement.  This supervised engagement with children will allow participants to apply their learning in real-world settings.

If you successfully complete the course, you will be guaranteed a job interview with a supporting company.  An interview is not a guarantee of a job.  Offers of employment will be solely at the discretion of the companies following the interview.  When employed you will then have the opportunity to continue your studies through the Apprenticeship Programme.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Eligible applicants will be invited to an Online Information Session week commencing Monday 24 August 2026, and an Interview which will be held week commencing Monday 7 September 2026 at the Belfast Met Campus in Castlereagh.

TRAINING

Training will be Monday to Friday primarily in-person, supported through e-learning resource and facilitated visits to childcare settings and will commence on Monday 28 September and finish on Friday 18 December 2026. Training times will be 10am to 4pm.

• Participants will be paid a £185 weekly training allowance.
• Participants will be paid reasonable travel expenses covering their return journey from their place of residence to the college while in training.
• Participants may be eligible for assistance with childcare costs while in training

Essential Criteria 

Applicants must:

• be at least 18 years old 
• have a right to work and to undertake Assured Skills Training in the UK at the point of application and not be disqualified from doing either by reason of their immigration status. Proof of this will be required in order to progress to interview.
• Evidence of these criteria will be required not later than Friday 28 August 2026 if selected for interview

**Applicants should be aware that the companies may apply additional right to work criteria at point of employment and a job offer is not guaranteed.

Shortlisting Criteria

Whilst there are no minimum level of qualifications required to apply for the Belfast Met Early Learning and Childcare Academy, preference will be given to applicants with Level 1 or higher English and Maths (equivalent to GCSE D-G).

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If living outside Northern Ireland – by accepting an offer of a place on this pre-employment training Academy, you are committing to attending  training and pursuing a job opportunity with one of the supporting companies based in Northern Ireland.

Applications Open

Applications are welcome from everyone who meets the essential criteria and are particularly welcome from persons returning to work from a period of caring for their children or other family members.

If you have a disability and require assistance in completing this form please email Assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk or by telephoning 028 9041 6972.

Correspondence Regarding Your Application

All correspondence relating to your application will be via email from assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk. It is your responsibility as applicant to act as required within the given time frame.

Email whitelisting helps ensure that important messages from known senders won’t end up in the spam folder.

To whitelist the assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk email address, you may wish to:

• Open your email client and navigate to the settings.
• Find the option to create a new filter or add a new contact.
• Add the email address assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk as a known contact/safe sender
• Save the changes.

The exact steps may vary depending on the email client you are using.

If you do not receive an email about your application by Friday 28 August 2026 please contact assuredskills@economy-ni.gov.uk and put Early Learning and Childcare Academy 2026/27 in the subject line.

To find out how we manage your information please see privacy notice below:

https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/publications/assured-skills-academies-privacy-notice

If you wish to make a complaint about the Assured Skills programme, please email assured.skills@economy-ni.gov.uk or telephone 028 9041 6941.