Name: Karen Benjamin
Job Title: Playwork trainer
Qualifications: BA(Hons) Drama and Dance, PGCE, Drama Specialist, A1 Assessor Award/V1 Internal Verifier. Currently studying for a Graduate Diploma in Playwork at University of Gloucestershire. Experience
I initially worked as a professional actress for over ten years in theatre, television and radio, and subsequently established a community theatre company for children, which toured schools, community centres and play schemes. I was also director for several youth theatres in Birmingham. Later I moved to Glasgow and became involved with the city council's children's play sector, running play sessions and eventually taking up the post of senior playworker at Linn Park Adventure Playground for Disabled Children. Part of the post was to train and support playworkers through their NVQs and through this I became an assessor in playwork. Eventually I returned to Birmingham to work for Purple Monster Training and started to deliver the Making Choices programme and playwork training at all levels throughout the Midlands and other parts of the country.
What I do
There is no such thing as a typical day, but most days start early and with an element of travel.
Many training days are with regular groups studying for the Level 2 Certificate in Playwork or Level 3 Diploma in Playwork, or more recently the Level 3 Transitional Award in Playwork for Early Years Workers. Other days may involve meeting a group for one-off training specifically in equalities and inclusion, or simply games and parachute play. Whatever the context, the aim is to inspire people who work with children and develop their understanding of individual needs.
The day often end with a big tidy-up and a resolve never to bring the sack of shredded paper into a carpeted room again! I return home with the sense of a good day being had and the message about the importance of play for all children being passionately delivered.
Ambition
I am now about to go to work for Playwork Partnerships as its training officer. This will be a new and exciting role and the chance to expand my skills within a well-established organisation that has played a vital role in developing playwork training nationally.
Options
Karen has an interesting combination of skills and experiences, having worked as an actress, playworker and trainer. There is never a substitute for passion in your work and as she is extending her involvement in co-ordinating the delivery of training to practitioners, this will greatly motivate her.
Confidence in theatrical and presentational activity has obviously been a key strength that has enabled Karen to develop theatre and training programmes for children as well as practitioners, positively enhancing practice.
The role of playwork training officer will be an exciting opportunity, which can then be a pathway to additional opportunities in the future.
FREELANCE CONSULTANT
As Karen has built up a portfolio of contacts nationally, by supporting workforce development in play and playwork, she could choose a completely independent role by offering consultancy to partners in the field of children and young people's services. Consultancy work could consist of providing advice, guidance, mentoring and training on how to establish accessible, equitable and stimulating provision and opportunities for children and young people. Her career focus has been to provide professional development opportunities for practitioners to develop more play-focused activity. Now she could extend to a wider range of clients by working as a specialist in her own right.
- Salary range: from £350 per day (variable project fees)
PLAY STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Working in a local authority service as part of a strategic development team, Karen could apply her experience of running adventure play provision, theatrically presenting play issues and developing training programmes, to very good use. She would need to develop a play strategy and delivery programme for a local authority area. Having creative and innovative ideas and knowledge of how to implement them would be a great advantage, as well as being able to communicate and collaborate with a range of partner organisations.
- Salary: £36,400-39,000 (variations by authority)
UNIVERSITY LECTURER
Now that Karen is establishing links in a university-based playwork training organisation, she may in future consider the role of university lecturer. She would be involved in research, programme development and delivery at graduate and post-graduate level. Her experience of delivering projects and training nationally would be advantageous.
Degrees in Play and Playwork are run by increasing numbers of universities. This is a very specialised field to which Karen could contribute her wealth of practical and theoretical understanding.
- Salary range: £40,000-49,800
Tina Jefferies, The Red Space Company; www.redspacecompany.com, email info@redspacecompany.com.