Spotlight on Talent: Manjinder Bal

“Doing a placement in a local school as part of the course gave me a feel for what working in the education sector is really like and the challenges that come with it. I was able to apply the classroom lessons to real life situation.”

Manjinder Bal
Studied Childcare – now working as a Level 3 Apprentice Learning Support Practitioner

Initially opting to study Painting and Decorating, Manjinder quickly realised that his passions lay elsewhere. Working with children was what he had always wanted to do, so he downed his brushes and made the brave decision to follow his dreams.

“Because of its outstanding Ofsted rating, Walsall College was the obvious choice for me, and from day one I felt I was gaining the right skills and knowledge to help me move forward with my goals. The tutors were amazing and used their own industry experience to give examples of scenarios which occur in early years settings.

“Doing a placement in a local school as part of the course gave me a feel for what working in the education sector is really like and the challenges that come with it. I was able to apply the classroom lessons to real life situation and it’s this experience that helped me to get my apprenticeship and continue my journey towards a rewarding career.

“In my role I’m constantly interacting with children who have mixed abilities and learning about their individual needs, and every day is different which I enjoy.

“My aim is to work in a secondary school as a behavioural consultant and help young people achieve their full potential through education.

“Looking back on my time at school, I didn’t make the most of the opportunities available and there were very few male role models to look up to. I would encourage more males to consider careers in childcare as they can really make a different to children’s lives.”