News Story

20 year old Damon O’Reilly and his colleagues are delighted as he becomes the first ever male apprentice to qualify in childcare at Rosy Apple’s Little Achievers @ Ribbleton Children’s Centre nursery in Preston, Lancashire.

After starting his working life as an apprentice bricklayer, Damon took the life changing decision to transfer to childcare because he had always wanted to work with children having had lots of experience minding his young cousins whilst at school. He says: “I took up bricklaying initially because that’s what all my mates were doing and members of my family had also been in the trade. Although I’d always fancied working with children, I’d been worried about how my friends would react but, realising I really should follow my dream, I took the plunge and haven’t looked back since.”

Damon had to persist in his attempts to be taken on as a nursery nurse and was thrilled when Rosy Apple’s MD, Sharon Alexander, offered him the chance to be an apprentice and work towards his NVQ level 2 in childcare.

College was a challenge and Damon had to work hard but he found everyone to be very helpful and didn’t mind being the only male in the class! He says he’s always got on well with women and really enjoys working in a nursery setting.

Damon’s delighted by the warm welcome he’s had from the Little Achievers children, their parents and colleagues; parents often tell him they’d like to see more men working in childcare.

Pleased with Damon’s successful transfer into childcare, Sharon Alexander says: ”He is a superb role model for our children who really enjoy having a man to relate to – they especially love the football sessions he organises. We’re also very proud that he’s gained his NVQ Level 2 in just 10-months, which is a great achievement.”

Sharon adds: “Damon has established a great rapport with the children, their parents and the staff team too, and I would definitely recommend that childcare employers consider taking on more men. Damon is definitely influencing the way everyone at Rosy Apple thinks about childcare, helping us all to see that looking after children is a suitable job for men as well as women.”

Rosy Apple Childcare has a long established commitment to apprentices. Sharon Alexander is a founder member of the prestigious North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network and in the 2009 Apprenticeship Awards, Rosy Apple Childcare was highly commended in the Medium Employer of the Year Award category. In 2008, Hajra Dawood, an apprentice at Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery was Lancashire’s Apprentice of the Year and Rosy Apple also won the Performance Through People Award in the 2008 BIBAs.

Established in November 2003 with a 39 place day nursery, Rosy Apple has grown steadily since then and now offers almost 300 places in Preston and Blackburn. Nurseries in the group are: Little Achievers Day Nursery, Chatburn Road, Ribbleton; Little Achievers @ Headstart Nursery, Herschell Street; Headstart Pre-School Centre, Bow Lane; Little Achievers @Ribbleton Children’s Centre and Blackburn’s Little Achievers @ Country Fields Nursery – more details available at www.rosyapplechildcare.com