DCG Success Stories

Teaching assistant and former adult carer Suzanne Draper plans to use her varied experience in caring for others to become a learning support mentor.

Suzanne, who is 48, has always wanted to work with children, but after initially training as a nursery nurse when she left school, went into a career caring for adults instead.

Now on the level 3 teaching assistant diploma course at Derby College,  she would like to use her skills to support young people going through difficult times.

As a teenager Suzanne took the NNEB diploma as well as one of the first BTECs in Social Care, at the former South East Derbyshire College in Ilkeston.

In need of  a job though, she went to work at an old people’s residential home – a care role which led to other jobs in the adult care sector, including supervising a team of home helps with Derbyshire County Council and supporting adults with mental health needs for a housing scheme.

When she became a mum – at one stage she had three children all under 18 months old – Suzanne decided to retrain and enrolled on the level 2 TA course at the Roundhouse.

Attending college on day release, she works at Kensington Junior Academy in Ilkeston where she’s employed as a midday supervisor and is also on teaching assistant placement two days a week.

Suzanne said: “I love school. One of the best parts of my job is building a relationship with the children – seeing them grow to trust you so you’re able to support them. College is brilliant too.

“The part of the course I’m most interested in is safeguarding. It’s a difficult subject but it’s the area I want to go into.

“I’m not sure what age group I want to work with yet – possibly primary or secondary school or maybe even working in a college.

“I’ve talked to a careers adviser at Derby College about it.”