TRAINING & EDUCATION
A Curriculum for Care
Adrian Grove, Business Development Director at Qube Learning, explains how alternative pathways to work can lead a new generation into the care sector.
The health and social care sectors are under pressure like never before. In January, the BBC reported that health leaders are warning “pressures on NHS services won't improve unless more people start working in social care.”
It is estimated that up to a quarter of hospital beds in some areas are filled by patients unable to be discharged, as they require care support outside hospital which isn’t available. With many care providers saying they have been underfunded and suffering staff recruitment and retention problems for years, the crisis is pushing provision in the UK to breaking point.
Adult health and social care providers must attract new recruits in large numbers, not only to accommodate the lingering impact and backlogs of the pandemic, but also to ease pressure on NHS services and support the ageing population of the UK.
To give you the figures: the 2021 care sector employment gap of 120,000 is now estimated to sit around 165,000. And it’s still rising.
This is going to be a critical year for care providers to utilise every recruitment and training opportunity available to build up their workforce. It seems clear that drawing the maximum amount possible from government-funded training will be the key to unlocking access to potential candidates.
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The government has a budget for further education training – the care sector should ringfence as much of it as possible for their industry, rather than letting millions of pounds of unused cash return to the Treasury as it has in previous years.
APPRENTICESHIPS: SKILLS FOR LIFE
Earlier this month, National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) gave training providers and students an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of apprentices around the country, centred on this year’s theme Skills for Life.
It was clear to see that apprenticeships help individuals and employers work collaboratively to develop a workforce with the skills and knowledge needed for a life-long career – and for care providers, recruiting apprentices could help build up skills and business resilience for the future.
From talking to the care providers that Qube is working with, including Avery Healthcare, there is a real enthusiasm amongst employers about the potential ability of young people on apprenticeships to turn the care crisis around. The double whammy of the pandemic and Brexit has severely diminished workforces from both the older generation and EU/foreign countries, so new apprentices are a fresh hope for many.
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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