Join the Care Workforce
Becoming a Healthcare Assistant
Now might be the best time to join the care workforce. The government is pledging extra spending on health and social care, and demand for care services is now higher than ever. There are now incentives for healthcare employers to provide training such as apprenticeships, and funding has been made available for care qualifications. With a shortage of staff in the sector, employers are also now paying higher wages to care staff. This is all good news for people looking to join social care. It means qualifications and career progression are within reach, and the prospect of joining an employer who really values its staff is higher than ever.
What Can the Health & Social Care Industry Offer You?
With the current incentives for employers to offer apprenticeships and distance learning, there is no better industry to join and begin working towards recognised qualifications quickly. A Level 2 Diploma in Health & Social Care might be the beginnings of a pathway to Nursing, for example. Those choosing to stay in social care might work their way up to Level 5 Diploma, which is degree level learning and could lead to management positions anywhere in healthcare.
Joining Health & Social Care From Other Industries
The current staff shortages mean employers are now more willing than ever to consider candidates with no experience. What’s more, it’s a proven fact that candidates from other people-focussed industries make a great fit for care work. Employers are looking for candidates with people skills first and foremost, and industries such as retail and childcare are great backgrounds to transfer from. What’s also been found is that being a parent can be great experience in itself.
With furlough ending and many people finding a very different job market emerging, it’s a great time to make a change to an industry which could give you secure employment for years to come.
What are Social Care Employers Looking for?
With health and social care employers more willing than ever to consider inexperienced candidates, the focus has shifted to values based recruitment. What this means is hiring people based on their personal traits. In care, employers are looking for people skills – empathy and patience, and a conscientious nature. These are exactly the qualities people who have worked in customer facing roles or been parents have in abundance.
Care workers support vulnerable people, and employers will need to perform DBS checks and satisfy themselves of your past conduct. You do not need to be a saint to work in care, but you need to be trustworthy. The people you will support are from all walks of life just like you, and they will thrive off their interactions with you.