City & Guilds' Barry Ashmore discovered why teaching in a nursery is a lot more than child's play

As Director of Operations and Procurement, Barry Ashmore wouldn't normally expect to spend his working day playing in the sandpit and talking dinosaurs, but he's always keen to see for himself that City & Guilds products are delivered efficiently and with an emphasis on customer service.

So, off he went for a day's work at JACE Training Nursery in Wallington as a trainee nursery assistant.

Barry was warmly welcomed by Gail Shenton, Operations Manager at JACE Training & Assessment Centre, and Sharon Perry, Operations Manager at Jancett Nurseries.

Suitably briefed and kitted out in a Jancett sweater he was quickly made to feel part of the team before being thrown into the deep end.

'I was faced by 15 three to four year olds, who all knew what they were about,' recalls Barry. 'After a quick fire tour of the solar system from Oliver, a four year old graduate of NASA, and managing to answer most of his questions correctly, I was trusted enough to take on the very important task of reading a story.'

Barry's next job as trainee nursery assistant was in the garden, helping to water this year's crop of carrots and check that the ladybirds were keeping any greenfly under control.

Then it was time for lunch and afterwards a visit to the upper floor with a lesson in making up drinks for the one year olds. 'By now those sleeping mats and cots were looking really inviting,' says Barry. 'This job requires stamina as well as multi-tasking.'

For Barry, the key words for the day were trust, responsibility and concentration. 'The first had to be earned and was immensely rewarding, I was constantly reminded of the second as a primary duty, while giving everyone the attention they deserved demanded the third.

However, the overwhelming feeling of the day was one of fulfilment. 'JACE's Gail Shenton agrees: 'lt was a really positive experience for us. Not just because we were able to put a name to a face, but because Barry was able to find for himself what it's like to divide your time between hard physical work and study.

NVQs are not an easy option. You have to have real commitment and enthusiasm.'