Training

CALA employs a small team of trainers with many years of early years and out of school care experience between them, who work closely with colleagues in Highland and Moray Councils to bring current, relevant and innovative training to staff and parents working with babies and children. We pride ourselves in being responsive to the needs of our membership and in keeping abreast of national and local trends in childcare and education. Our training is complemented by the work carried out by Highlands and Moray Accredited Training Services (HiMATS) which focuses on delivering accredited training to the childcare sector – mainly vocational qualifications.

Within each academic year we deliver around 38 full day trainings as part of the Local Authorities’ In-service programmes; these vary from largely practical courses such as ‘Early Science and Investigation’ to theory-based courses such as ‘Self evaluation and the Cycle of Audit’. and places can be booked through Clachnaharry (call 01463 711176).

An important feature of our service is our seven day course ‘Play and Learning into Practice’ which is targeted at fairly new, inexperienced or unqualified staff who would like to access a comprehensive introduction to the world of childcare. The course is delivered over seven weeks and provides a wide range of practical hands-on experiences as well as the necessary child development knowledge and understanding of how to set up and run an effective childcare provision. (For more information contact CALA on 01463 703033).

In addition to in-service training for staff we also deliver workshop training across the Highlands, sometimes as requested by Local Childcare and Family Resource Partnerships – recent workshops have included Positive Behaviour Management and Birth to Three. At all times we try to tailor our training to the needs of those attending and are mindful of the often difficult circumstances under which staff and parents have to work.