Ms Lucy Lim
After retiring from her last job in November 2018 as an Executive Secretary of a multinational company at the age of 64, Lucy Lim decided one month after leaving the company to sign up for a 10-month full-time WSQ Advanced Certificate in Early Years (ACEY) course with KLC International Institute (KLCII).
Her two grand-daughters, now aged 5 and 8, were her motivation for a job in the child care sector. At that time Lucy was eager to work in the morning, so that she could pursue her full time study in the afternoon.
In February 2019, she found a job as a Trainee Educarer at PCF SparkleTots Childcare Centre in Bukit Batok to begin her new journey in the childcare sector. She has continued to work at the centre after obtaining her ACEY certificate, which qualifies her to become a preschool Educarer.
She said that the course at KLCII was “very effective, as it provided students with practical know-how and a huge dose of confidence when it comes to actually working in a childcare centre”. It had helped her better understand the guiding principles of the Early Years Development Framework, and deepen her knowledge and experience in child development by being involved in the planning and carrying out of activities for very young children.
In particular, she said: “The Practicum attachment periods were really eye-openers for me. If not for these attachments, which required me to be transferred from one bay to another, handling different age groups, I would most likely not have had the opportunity to experience firsthand the different environments and responsibilities.”
Lucy said she has learned “so much” from all the lecturers at KLCII and has been able to use them in her work as a Trainee Educarer.
Reflecting on her new-found second career, she said it has allowed her to experience the tremendous contrast between working in the corporate world and the caring of very young and innocent children whose ages can range from being just a couple of months old to thirty-six months.
“Looking after very young children is no easier task than supporting top executives in MNCs. The work pressure is there all the same,” she said.
A music lover and active line dancer, Lucy has incorporated some light nursery music and a bit of “appropriate body movement” whenever she could, when conducting activities for the children at the centre.
She is glad that she made the decision earlier to embark on the ACEY to qualify as a preschool Educarer.
“There is so much more to learn and be qualified, to be in this profession.” she added.
