Routeways into adult social care

Transcription

1 Routeways into adult social care Find out more about: apprenticeships traineeships your local sector routeway other tips to help you get started.

2 Do you want a career that makes a difference? Are you good at working with other people? Are you reliable? Can you work under pressure? Are you happy to chat and put people at ease? Are you a good listener? Do you respect other people s values and beliefs? Are you keen to do training and develop your own skills? If so, a career in adult social care could be for you, and there s lots of ways you can get started. I chose a career in social care because I find it a rewarding job.

3 Routeways into adult social care What are my options? If you want to work in adult social care, there are lots of options to help you get started. Become an apprentice Apprenticeships are a great option for anyone who s ready to start work and wants to develop their skills and knowledge in the sector. They include working with a social care employer whilst achieving a qualification (this could be at college), doing skills training and earning a wage. There are different levels of apprenticeships, from level two to level five, depending on your experience. Search for opportunities at Do a traineeship If you don t feel ready to do an apprenticeship, a traineeship might be a good option for you. They develop your employability skills to help you progress into an apprenticeship or employment. Traineeships are for year olds who aren t in employment. They include work preparation training, such as CV writing, support with your English and maths skills, and a work placement. Search for opportunities at Join a sector routeway The sector routeway includes a learning programme, which could be achieving the Level 1 Award in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care, and a work placement. They re a great way to learn more about working in the sector and develop care specific skills to help you get started. At the end of your routeway, you ll be supported to find permanent work or do more training. They re usually set up by your local employment service such as the Jobcentre Plus.

4 Become an apprentice As an apprentice, you ll earn while you learn, gain a nationally recognised qualification and develop the skills and knowledge to become a confident and skilled care worker. You ll work in an adult social care role alongside experienced care workers, whilst doing training and a qualification (in the workplace or at college). They last a minimum of 12 months to give you enough time to gain valuable experience and develop your skills. What roles could I do? There are lots of different apprenticeship roles in adult social care. It depends what you re interested in, who you want to work with and where you want to work. Some of the most popular apprenticeship roles are: activities worker care worker personal assistant support worker mental health support worker community support worker management business and administration. What levels could I do? You can do apprenticeships at different levels. Level 2 Adult Care Worker Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Level 5 - Higher Apprenticeship in Care and Leadership Management If you re new to adult social care, a level 2 apprenticeship is a great route into the sector. Once you ve got some experience, you could progress onto a higher level apprenticeship. How can I become an apprentice? The National Apprenticeship Service has a database of live vacancies. Search for opportunities at You could also speak to your school, college or learning provider about the right opportunity for you. Soon you could even do a degree apprenticeship and become a social worker or an occupational therapist. Have a look at the different roles in adult social care on Think Care Careers at

5 Did you know? Apprentices earn and learn - gaining new skills, work experience and a recognised qualification whilst being paid. When you ve done an apprenticeship, you ll have gained a formal qualification. Adult social care is a growing sector that has lots of opportunities to progress - many apprentices go on to take up management and leadership roles. Apprenticeships aren t just for young people and school leavers. Anyone over the age of 16 can do an apprenticeship. Care isn t 9-5! Apprenticeships can be flexible with regards to the number of hours you work and the time of day you work. As well as care roles, there are support role apprenticeships including business, administration and chef training. I ve been able to raise a family at the same time, so it s worked really well within my life.

6 Hear from... Daisy Faulkner Apprentice at Countywide Caring Daisy is an apprentice at Countrywide Caring. She was first interested in working in social care after looking after her Grandmother who had dementia. She chose to do an apprenticeship because it went into more depth than a standalone qualification or college course - as well as learning more about social care, she wanted to learn about the company she would work for. As soon as she started her apprenticeship, she knew it was where she wanted to be. The training and qualification she s done as part of the apprenticeship has helped her to deliver a better quality of care. She says: The knowledge you have [before the apprenticeship] is good enough to be able to do the job, but to actually understand what s going on, how people feel, how your colleagues feel an apprenticeship is so much better than just going out and shadowing. Daisy s confidence has also grown. When I first started I didn t have any confidence or belief in myself. I d always ring up the office and ask am I doing this right, can I do this and should I do that? Whereas now I know that I m good at my job. I love my job and I know that I can help other people because I m confident enough to do that. Daisy is already a great advocate for social care apprenticeships. I convinced one of my friends to do a social care apprenticeship because she was unsure what she wanted to do. She thought maybe she wanted to be a hairdresser. I told her the amount that you learn on an apprenticeship is great, and even if you do a health and social care apprenticeship it doesn t mean you ll be stuck in one role. You ll get the chance to work with lots of different service users to see what suits you best. You can also use your apprenticeship to go into other things such as childcare, nursing or hospital work. As soon as we had this conversation she went to my boss and signed up. Daisy firmly believes that her apprenticeship will help her develop her career in the sector. I ve already done my level 2 apprenticeship and I m doing my level 3 now. I ve got the motivation to do it and most importantly I want to do it. I love my job and I know that I can help other people because I m confident enough to do that.

7 Hear from... Dan Burt Apprentice at Way Ahead Care Dan chose a career in adult social care because he enjoys helping and looking after people. He says: I like the idea that I m making their lives better. I have an involvement in how people who use our services progress, and I can then make their lives better. It impacts on me as well because I feel better about myself. He chose to do an apprenticeship so that he could learn whilst on the job. I did [an apprenticeship] rather than going straight in to work I think that would be too overloading and too much for me. I think that an apprenticeship was a great way because you can work and you can learn at the same time. You re gaining knowledge every single day. Dan s apprenticeship has made a big difference - he feels more confident in himself, and it s helped him to become a better care worker. I have gained a lot of confidence from it and that helps the people I work with. It s [also] helped me with my communication skills. At school you don t really learn these life skills but in an apprenticeship you are put out there. The apprenticeship has also helped Dan make more informed decisions about his future career. His employer has provided feedback throughout the apprenticeship, and supported him to explore different career pathways. I got a lot of support no matter what my choices were, either staying with my employer or moving on. Dan recommends an apprenticeship to anyone who wants to start a career in adult social care. He says: I would say it s definitely worth a go. It builds a lot on your confidence and your communication skills, and it s a great pathway to a career. You shouldn t doubt an apprenticeship because it can lead on to a lot of things - my apprenticeship can lead on to about 30 different jobs so it s definitely worth doing. I have an involvement in how people who use our services progress, and I can then make their lives better. It impacts on me as well because I feel better about myself.

8 Do a traineeship If you don t feel ready to do an apprenticeship, a traineeship might be a good option for you. They re a great way to work with potential employers to find out what it takes to work in adult social care. It ll help you identify the skills, knowledge and values that employers are looking for in care workers, and help you promote your talents through the application and interview process. This will develop your employability skills so you can progress into an apprenticeship or employment. What does a traineeship include? Traineeships include: work preparation training, such as CV writing, developing a personal statement and job searching English and maths support (unless you ve already achieved a GCSE A* - C in those subjects or a functional skills qualification at level 2) a quality work experience placement with an employer, lasting from six weeks to five months. They can last from six weeks to six months this will depend on the employer that s offering the traineeship. At the end of your traineeship you ll be offered an interview for a job or an apprenticeship (if a vacancy is available), or you ll be given an exit interview and reference from your employer. Who can apply for a traineeship? Traineeships are for year olds who aren t in employment or work less than 16 hours per week, and have little or no work experience. They re suitable for year olds who are qualified below level 3, or year olds who have no yet achieved a level 2. If you have a learning difficulty in academic assessments you can do a traineeship up to the age of 25. Will I be paid? Traineeships are unpaid, but employers are encouraged to pay expenses such as transport and meals. Depending on your circumstances you might be able to access financial support from your learning provider, or a bursary. If you receive benefits they shouldn t be affected, but you should keep the Jobcentre Plus informed. How can I become a trainee? The National Apprenticeship Service has a database of live vacancies. Search for opportunities at You could also speak to your school, college or learning provider about the right opportunity for you. I learn better practically than I do on paper.

9 Join a care sector routeway If you re unemployed, the care sector routeway includes a learning programme and a work placement to get you work ready for adult social care. They re usually organised through your local Jobcentre Plus, or other employment support service, who work with a learning provider and adult social care employers. They re a great way to learn more about working in the sector and develop care specific skills to help you get started. What does the care sector routeway include? The care sector routeway includes: Will I be paid? Work placements are unpaid, but employers are encouraged to pay expenses such as transport and meals. Depending on your circumstances you might be able to access financial support from your learning provider, or a bursary. If you receive benefits they shouldn t be affected, but you should keep the Jobcentre Plus informed. How can I take part in a sector routeway? You ll need to be referred by an employment service to take part in a sector routeway. This could be your local Jobcentre Plus or other service. pre-employment training, which could be the Level 1 Award in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care workplace visits or work experience a guaranteed job interview at the end of the training. They can last up to six weeks. At the end of your traineeship you ll be offered an interview for a job or an apprenticeship (if a vacancy is available), or supported to do further training. I chose a career in social care because I find it a rewarding job.

10 Other tips to help you get started There are other ways you could start your career in adult social care. Apply for an advertised job If you have the skills, knowledge and values to work in adult social care, you could apply for an advertised vacancy. You can find them on: job websites such as Indeed.com or Fish4Jobs local employers or your local council website or social media your local newspaper or community jobs boards. You can find advice about starting your career on Think Care Careers at This webpage includes information about what type of person you need to be, what skills you need and what qualifications you might need. Do work experience or volunteering Work experience is a great way to get an insight into what it s like to work in adult social care, and see if it s the right career for you. If there s a vacancy at the end of your placement, your employer might encourage you to apply. Volunteering can help you build experience working in an adult social care setting. Your careers or employment advisor could help you find work experience or volunteering, or you could contact adult social care employers directly to ask about opportunities. You could also search for a local I Care Ambassador service who might offer work experience or taster days. Visit You don t necessarily need qualifications to enter the sector - good employers should support and nurture you.

11 twitter.com/skillsforcare facebook.com/skillsforcare linkedin.com/company/skills-for-care Skills for Care West Gate 6 Grace Street Leeds LS1 2RP T: E: info@skillsforcare.org.uk skillsforcare.org.uk/thinkcarecareers Skills for Care 2018