Teaching assistant gains digital skills through apprenticeship

An ACT student has been awarded a coveted prize in recognition of her improving digital skills.

Laura Riley, who undertook a Digital Learning Practitioners apprenticeship with the training provider, recently received the Jisc Digital Student Award for Positively Embracing Education Technology.

The title is a huge achievement for Laura, who originally signed up for her qualification when she was given the role of digital support for the school that she works in.

At the time, Laura’s digital skills were very low and she was keen to make improvements so she could better support her students with digital technology.

Laura has been described as a ‘lovely’ and ‘dedicated’ member of staff, working as a teaching assistant in the pupil referral unit of Bridge Achievement Centre for the past 12 years.

“The place would fall apart without her,” says Centre Manager Amanda Veater.

“Laura develops excellent relationships with pupils and her colleagues and is a popular member of staff. Laura is incredibly organised and very good at managing her time. We’re all very proud of her achievements.”

ACT’s Digital Learning Practitioner Assessor, Jolene Plant, added: “At the beginning of her course, Laura’s confidence in general was low but carrying out the qualification and being able to interact with other learners gave Laura a massive boost.

“It was amazing to see how her confidence grew over the 18 months that she was on programme.”

The Digital Learning Practitioners apprenticeship is aimed at anyone in a teaching or training role. It covers many key aspects of learning using digital technology and explores a range of different application software packages and new technologies to better equip education professionals with the ever-changing landscape they are working in.

You can learn more about the qualification by watching learner Donna’s story in the video below.

Find more details on the course here.