40,000 carers to benefit from a new career pathway scheme
A leading homecare provider has announced its commitment to the development of UK carers by investing over £5m in the launch of its Academy Career Pathway programme.
In response to high turnover rates, heavy workloads, and limited opportunities for care staff, Cera, the leading home-care provider, has today announced its plans to invest over £5m into the launch of its Academy Career Pathway programme.
The project, which is set to launch this month, is designed to enable employees to gain fully-funded and professionally recognised qualifications alongside their current work.
The Pathway is split into two streams – development opportunities for skilled carers and middle management, and an apprenticeship pathway for early-career carers and operations staff.
News of the new career pathway coincides with similar plans that have been recently announced by the government. At the beginning of this year, the Department of Health and Social Care laid out plans to encourage more people to join the sector. These included introducing a new, accredited qualification to help recognise the work being done by carers and developing a national care career structure, with defined roles and professional development.
The plans to help health and social care staff are more important than ever. According to the most recent statistics from Skills For Care, there are 152,000 vacant posts in the sector – this is set to be reviewed in October 2024.
Whilst piloting the new scheme, Cera enrolled 245 of their employees who were given the option to choose from up to 50 different training options ranging from Level 2-5 care qualifications, skills to support complex or learning disability care, and supervisory or management positions.
The people who worked for Cera have claimed they are optimistic about investing in this new scheme as they have witnessed a huge increase in carers desire to progress their careers. New research has found that there has been a 150% increase in Cera carer registrations for the Level 2 Adult Social Care apprenticeship since 2023.
In addition, this year, 16 people are enrolled in the Level 5 Leader in Adult Care programme, where the company supports branch managers with their goal to move into higher management roles. From Q4 2023 to Q1 2024, Cera saw an 82% increase in the enrolment of managers.
Commenting on the news, Dr Ben Maruthappu, founder, and CEO of Cera, said: ‘In the NHS and social care, turnover rates for staff have always been notoriously high, and a huge driver of this is a lack of a clear progression. When employees see limited opportunities for skill development and growth, they may become disengaged and lose motivation.
‘While it’s positive to see the government finally take a stance with its new pledge, we hope that our Academy Career Pathway acts as a model example for other care providers looking to support the professional development of staff in line with the Government’s new pledge.’
‘By offering our employees new learning and development opportunities, we are illustrating our commitment to enhancing the quality of social care and offering rewarding careers,’ Dr Maruthappu added. ‘The domestic healthcare industry is fuelled by intelligent and driven carers, who deserve new incentives to foster professional growth and overall job satisfaction.’
Image: Clark Tibbs
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