As part of our 25th anniversary celebrations, we have interviewed some of our longest serving members of staff, to find out what is was like to work at Tops all those years ago! Our next interview is with Verity Anderson, Assessor for Aspire Training Team who has been working for the company for 16 years.
“I joined Tops in September 1999 as an apprentice, working towards my Level 2 at Tops Parkstone, upstairs in the 2-year-olds unit.
Working at Tops has given me many memories to cherish; my best achievements have been running the play work courses at Tops Bournemouth and Tops Wimborne, being the lead for all areas of its delivery.
But also, I’ve managed to overcome my fear of getting messy. Even as a child I didn’t like dirty hands or especially feet. The children soon helped me to get over this and see the fun educational benefits of painted footprints.
I enjoy the variety of working within Tops. Over the years I have supported many new settings as they open and I have loved playing my part and seeing the company grow.
I have also loved being able to change my role and to progress within the family of nurseries we have, without having to start again somewhere new. Right now I enjoy supporting external sites and seeing many different settings.
Since starting my career at Tops, I have gained my NVQ 2, NVQ 3, Play work Level 3, Key skills in Maths, English, IT, Working with others, Improving Own Learning and Performance and Problem Solving. I have also gained my D32, D33 and my Level 4 in Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector.”
