On the 28th May Rob and I were delighted to be invited to attend the graduation of the first Musical Minis Work Experience participants. The programme was run and organised by our Merseyside Musical Minis franchisee, Cathie Flynn, at Stoneycroft Children’s Centre funded by Liverpool Mutual Homes.
Cathie oversaw one final session, where each of the six trainees all ran part of the class. We were really impressed with the confidence and enthusiasm of the trainees Laura, Faye, Viv, Carrie, Sharon and Debbie. The final session was quite eventful with numbers swelling throughout the lesson, but this was handled seamlessly with the trainees unphased. Small changes had to be implemented to the planned programme and we were delighted with how easily and professionally this was dealt with.
After the session there was a presentation and celebratory party. Each trainee received a certificate and a small memento. It was great that Margie Kelly from the centre, who had helped design the course, was able to attend. I was given the honour of handing out the certificates and Rob took photos.
The course was aimed at giving people a chance to learn valuable transferable skills, such as interaction with children and families together with presentation skills. It also covered aspects of health and safety and inclusion. The trainees gained confidence whilst learning to present and assist at Musical Minis classes
Cathie said ”We are hoping to run more courses throughout the region as we have seen the increase in confidence in the people who have attended. All of the candidates worked hard and were able to showcase their achievements in a final Musical Minis session. The families that attended the sessions also enjoyed the benefits of the classes. We are so grateful to Liverpool Mutual Homes for giving us the opportunity to run this first course”
Feedback had been obtained from the carers of children who attended the sessions and from the trainees. We were thrilled that the programme had received so many positive comments from everyone involved. As this programme was so successful it is something we would like to offer across the UK. If you run a Children's Centre or an organisation and would like information please contact us at enquiries@musicalminis.co.uk
Comments