Emma Ford

During my time at LMC, I gained the skills I needed to support children and young people in education and how to behave positively and professionally when working in the education industry. This first-hand experience resulted in me being offered a long-term role as a teaching assistant.

Emma joined Lancaster & Morecambe College in 2022 to pursue her dream of working in the teaching industry. Having previously studied at LMC when she was younger, Emma knew that coming back would be right for her.

The course Emma took is part of our Work-based Diploma-Only Courses. These courses are designed to upskill and gain formal qualifications for those already in employment or voluntary work. 

I knew that LMC would give me a high level of support throughout the learning process. I enjoyed the course, with the part I enjoyed most being that I was able to gain first-hand experience working with the children alongside completing the qualification.

During her time on the course, Emma did her practical/work-based side of the course voluntarily at a local school and thanks to her hard work and dedication she was offered a permanent role there as a Teaching Assistant.

During my time at LMC, I gained the skills I needed to support children and young people in education and how to behave positively and professionally when working in the education industry. This first-hand experience resulted in me being offered a long-term role as a teaching assistant.

LMC also offers free training and distance learning courses which Emma took advantage of during her time with us. These extra courses aided Emma's learning providing her with extra knowledge and qualifications.

I was also able to complete free courses through LMC to further extend my learning, for example, I have just completed the Level 2 course in Understanding Autism which will benefit me when applying for roles in the future. I am currently working within a key stage one class as well as providing one-to-one support to SEND children, which the extra courses helped me with. Some of my roles include promoting positive behaviours in the learning environment, supporting children throughout their learning and helping to differentiate learning tasks based on children’s individual needs.

When Emma was asked what she would say to someone thinking of taking this course, Emma said:

If you are passionate about working with children and want to do a qualification while also gaining first-hand experience in the workplace, this course is perfect. I have enjoyed every part of this course and the flexibility of it meant that I could complete my learning to my own schedule.