Diana Barkauskyte

Diana Barkauskyte has progressed through the different levels of childcare courses offered by NESCol and collected her HNC Childhood Practice at the recent Aberdeen Graduation Ceremony at the City’s Music Hall.

Diana Barkauskyte was living and working in Peterhead in a café when she decided to move to Aberdeen to pursue her dream of working with children. Diana, who is from Lithuania, helped care for her younger brothers growing up as well as working as a babysitter. It was these experiences that helped her realise that childcare was what she wanted to pursue as a career.  

Diana said, “I love the idea of being able to see children reach their individual milestones and to be able to support them through their growth. It’s a rewarding career and that appealed to me. “

Diana started on the Level 4 Introduction to Childcare course at Aberdeen City Campus, before progressing to Childcare & Development Level 5 and then the Level 6 Early Education & Childcare. She took a year out and then returned to complete her HNC Childhood Practice, culminating in four years of learning.

 She said, “Studying at NESCol has pushed me out of my comfort zone and has made me the person I am today. I have had great experiences and the opportunity to apply my knowledge in childcare settings, which has made my learning more meaningful. I built great relationships with the childcare lecturing team over my time at City Campus and their support and encouragement has been invaluable.” 

The childcare team acknowledged Diana’s progression and effort earlier this year when she was awarded the Placement Student of the Year Award winner in recognition of her commitment and endeavours.  The HNC Childhood Practice involves spending time on placement, which Diana completed at Hanover Street School.    

Winning the award was a standout moment in Diana’s NESCol experience and one she is very grateful for. She said, “Winning the award was an incredible honour! It felt validating to see my hard work being recognised and motivated me to keep pushing myself. Knowing my contribution at Hanover Street School made a difference was such a great feeling. “ 

Diana is now working on the relief register with Aberdeen City Council which means she works in different early years settings across the city, providing practitioner support. She sees it as a great opportunity to build upon her experience before finding a permanent post.