The Skills for Growth programme is fully-funded by the European Social Fund as part of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s three-year plan to plug skills gaps identified by employers across different sectors in the city-region.
DurationWhat is the Skills for Growth programme?
The Skills for Growth programme is fully-funded by the European Social Fund as part of Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s three-year plan to plug skills gaps identified by employers across different sectors in the city-region.
Acorn Training have been appointed as the lead provider for Early Years training in Greater Manchester as part of the Skills for Growth programme. We offer a comprehensive set of fully-funded training courses to support employers and employees within the Early Years Sector.
Who can we work with?
Nursery settings
Pre-School settings
Registered childminders
Other registered settings caring for children aged 0-5
What does the training cover?
The training has been designed to encompass the following areas:
Universal training for practitioners working within the early education/childcare sector within GM that seeks to improve their knowledge and understanding of supporting child development and learning from birth to 5 years, including the importance of high-quality interactions, effective engagement with parents and the role of early identification and intervention.
Training that focuses on increasing practitioners’ knowledge and understanding of key development milestones from birth to age 5 across the EYFS Prime Areas of Learning and Development including speech, language and communication, physical development and social, emotional development and wellbeing.
Training that includes a focus on the impact of Covid-19 on child development, recognising the emerging evidence of and impact of increasing child development delays and support for practitioners in identifying and intervening to address child development concerns.
Support for practitioners with a focus on strengthening the skills required to become an effective early years practitioner, including:
Improving the quality of interactions and learning experiences
Building effective relationships with children and families
Effective engagement with parents including managing difficult conversations
Safe practice
About Us
About Acorn Training
We are proud to be a practitioner-led organisation that does well from doing good.
We are performance driven, with strong values, developed from within our organisation by our staff and stakeholders. We deliver Apprenticeships, Training, Employability Support and Youth and Justice Services with integrity, ownership and accountability.
We have strong roots in the local and wider communities that we serve; changing lives, inspiring individuals and their families to take responsibility for their path in life through person-centred, holistic support and learning and development.
Our Vision
“Ensuring a safe and secure future for everyone to succeed in life and work”.
Our Founder – Gareth Saldanha-Fallows
Gareth Saldanha-Fallows has worked within the skills and welfare to work industry since 1996, spending a number of years working within Further Education and welfare to work, delivering high profile regional contracts, such as Private Sector Led New Deal, Pathways to Work, The Work Programme, Community Work Placement and numerous Skills Funding Agency and DWP ESF contracts and Apprenticeships.
As a teenager, Gareth faced challenges because of his sexuality. Despite these obstacles, Gareth found safety and security within his LGBTQ+ community and further education, training as a secondary school teacher at Manchester Metropolitan University in 2001.
In 2008, Gareth, from Stoke-on-Trent, founded Acorn Training, now a large apprenticeships, skills, justice and employability provider employing close to 100 staff nationally. Gareth felt it was important for Acorn Training to be a safe and inclusive space for all communities, thus creating inclusive opportunities and breaking down engagement and motivational barriers.
Gareth is passionate about equality in all factors and uses his own experiences to be well placed to fully understand the journey of LGBTQ+ individuals whilst continuing to understand and help other communities.
Gareth holds a Masters Degree in Local Economic Regeneration from University and completed a MSc in Local Economic Regeneration. Gareth is currently undertaking a professional Doctorate in Education at the University of Birmingham.
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