Alumni Spotlight - Lucille Erskine
“Whilst it was a long and stressful process to gain the qualification, I am glad I did it as it has given me the confidence boost that I need to prove that I am able to gain a university course. I am prepared as best as I can be to take on the world of management within the childcare sector.”
If you are looking to gain the qualifications needed for the SSSC requirements, our BA Childhood Practice allows you to study online around your current commitments. We chatted to a student who has recently completed the course to find out how she found it.
Can you introduce yourself?
Lucille Erskine from Edinburgh.
What course did you study at UHI Perth?
BA Childhood Practice and I did this part-time online.
Did you consider other universities when you were deciding to study? If so, why did you choose us?
I did look at other universities. I chose UHI as it was the only one that took my previous experience as well as qualifications into account - to allow me to advance to year three. I needed to do this qualification to meet SSSC standards, as I was running a business and working full time, the only way I could feasible do this was all online. UHI was the only university that I looked into that could offer a fully online BA in Childhood Practices.
Why was this right course for you?
As it was all online, it allowed me the flexibility to do the course work within my own time and have a study plan that I could fit around my already busy life and work commitments.
What do you think about the style of teaching and the support you’ve received from tutors and lecturers?
The tutors were all very supportive and I knew I could send them an email/post on the discussion board with a question at any time and they would get back to me quickly. I had a couple of one-to-one support sessions throughout the course, and these were very beneficial, and I felt the tutors were understanding and approachable. The resources were always available, and I really appreciated when the tutors put up several weeks’ worth of work at a time, which allowed me to work at my own pace and could advance when I had some additional free time or during university holidays, which took the pressure off deadlines a bit.
What career direction would you like to take after studying?
I would love to be able to do further study to train as a speech and language therapist.
How do you feel your studies will help you in your career progression?
Yes. I already had my career path set by working my way up through the childcare sector from 1999 to the present by opening my own nursery. The SSSC qualification requirements were the reasoning behind doing this BA course.
Are you currently employed? If so, can you tell us who your current employer is, what you are currently doing and what does your work involve?
Yes. I set up my own nursery in 2015 – the ‘bees knees playgroup ltd’. My current role is doing all the usual business management that includes PAYE, health and safety standards, ensuring I meet all Employment Law criteria, and all aspects of having employees. I am also the daily manager in the nursery, which involves creating care plans for children, supervising staff, developing staff training opportunities, maintaining ratios, creating the child register, meeting with parents and other professionals within the childcare sector and nursery development.
How do you feel your studies have helped you with your career? Was there anything you did whilst at UHI that you think helped you secure your job?
Yes and no. Yes, because doing the BA has helped me realise that I do have the ability to improve my knowledge and skills set and gain a certificate to prove I should and can be in my current position and run a successful nursery. No, as I felt the BA was at times more focused on those who were aiming for a management position whereby, I have been in a management position for almost ten years.
What were the steps you took from graduation to your current role?
No change for me at the present time. As I am in the same role as I was when I started the BA.
Where would you like to go with your career in the future?
I would like to focus on speech and language development in children.
What advice would you give to those considering studying in terms of careers and employment?
With the new requirements from SSSC reducing the timeframes to gain qualifications, those wishing to take on a management position sometime in the future, really need to complete their BA prior to progressing to a management position. Those who are mature students, like myself, also need to realistically do a fully online course, as there is very limited funding available. So, the need to work is essential to be able to cover fees and the cost of living.
Whilst it was a long and stressful process to gain the qualification, I am glad I did it as it has given me the confidence boost that I need to prove that I am able to gain a university course. I am prepared as best as I can be to take on the world of management within the childcare sector. I am also hopeful that as a private sector nursery manager/owner by doing the BA, it will reduce the stigma that private sectors workers receive from other childcare professionals at times, as we are all at the same level of qualifications and knowledge as each other.
What are your favourite things about UHI?
Friendly, supportive, and approachable staff who had real-life experiences working within the childcare sector, so could relate to the students more.
The flexibility that the fully online course provided. I couldn’t have done the course if it was set weekly classes every week.
Is there anything else you feel like telling us about your experience at UHI?
Even although I was put through to year three, I still took three years to get through the course due to the restrictions of fully online courses only being able to offer three modules per semester. The first year I needed to gain an additional 20 credits before starting on year three work. I do worry about the SSSC changes to timeframes from five years to gain a qualification to three years as this may put potential new managers off the role if they are not fully qualified before taking on the role of management.
