糖心vlog官网

Barely a week after Monika Mladenovic completed her final HSC exam she walked through the front door of Teddy鈥檚 Little Treasures, an early childhood centre in Green Valley near Liverpool, and into her first full-time job. It鈥檚 an amazing achievement by any measure, and one that seems all the more impressive when you consider the chaos that COVID-19 unleashed on the childcare and training sectors earlier in the year.

鈥淚 had to take three months off because of COVID,鈥� says Monika when we catch up over her lunch break.

In April 2019, Monika started a school based traineeship in Early Childhood 糖心vlog官网. Almost a year to the day later, COVID-19 would force Monika to put the work component of her traineeship, which she was completing at Teddy鈥檚 Little Treasures, on hold. It was a move that could have delayed the completion of her traineeship, if not derailed it entirely.

鈥淲hen the Premier announced that parents should keep their kids home from school, a lot of our parents decided to keep their children home from care,鈥� recalls Cathy Hustler, the owner of Teddy鈥檚 Little Treasures and an early childhood educator with 20 years鈥� experience in the field.

鈥淭here was one Wednesday when we had three children here, and our highest enrolment during that period was six kids.鈥�

It was a tough time for the childcare sector. The staff at Teddy鈥檚 Little Treasures, like many other childcare workers across NSW, took reduced hours to help keep the business afloat during the first few months of the pandemic. It was also a challenging period for Monika.

鈥淚 had to catch up on the days I missed that are a requirement of the traineeship,鈥� says Monika, recalling the juggling act she had to perform.

鈥淚t definitely required a bit of time-management, but I was able to do some of my catch-up work on days that school finished early.鈥�

In the end, Monika was able to satisfy the work requirements of the traineeship and get back on track thanks to her flexibility and excellent time-management abilities. Her maturity played a big part in her success, too.

Svetlana Kuzmar, a Traineeship Coordinator & Careers Adviser at Australian Careers Business College, has seen a lot students pass through her training programs in the 20 years she鈥檚 been working with Cecil Hills High School, Monika鈥檚 alma mater. But she hasn鈥檛 seen too many students who possess Monika鈥檚 humility, level headedness and dedication.

鈥淢onika is amazing; she is a very mature young lady,鈥� says Svetlana.

鈥淲e provide students with an assessment schedule and Monika was always able to meet those deadlines. Even through COVID, she just did not falter, and was able to catch up on the days she missed and complete all her assessments.鈥�

Maturity and work ethic aside, Monika possesses another quality that ultimately convinced Cathy to offer her a job at her childcare centre.

鈥淭he children responded really well to her, so I thought 鈥榯hat鈥檚 something to watch,鈥欌�� says Cathy, thinking back to the first few days of Monika鈥檚 work placement.

As it turns out, Monika鈥檚 a natural. According to Cathy, Monika has an intrinsic nurturing quality that allows her to communicate well with the children.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen other trainees become quite nervous around the children, but Monika just has a natural rapport with them.鈥�

Interestingly, while Monika has always known that she鈥檇 like to work with children in some capacity, it was her Year 10 work experience that confirmed the direction she鈥檇 like to head in. Monika did two one-week work experience placements, one at a primary school and another at Teddy鈥檚.

鈥淚 did my second placement at Teddy鈥檚 and I realised that I enjoyed working with the younger children more. I feel really drawn to them, and I love being able to explain things and teach them.鈥�

Fortunately for Monika鈥攁nd for the children at Teddy鈥檚 Little Treasures鈥攕he鈥檚 now in a position where she can do just that.

Interested in doing a school based traineeship in Early Childhood 糖心vlog官网?

Speak to your Careers Adviser.