Health and Social Care is a huge sector with so many opportunities locally and we are extremely proud to be one of the only companies delivering this. Whilst some may have had a taste for care already, others may find entering a care environment a daunting prospect. For many, however, care may be a career not previously considered, and often people don’t realise the caring values that they have which could be nurtured into a career.
Therefore, The Somerset Care Foundation is a chance to learn about the opportunities within care, what we do, and who we are. We can show individuals what transferable skills they have and allow them to shadow to see what the care environment is like first-hand. We hope that this will then lead to job opportunities for them. There are so many positive and amazing things that people working in care see everyday and it is great to have an opportunity to share these with new people.
Over the years our scheme has evolved and developed, and has resulted in several participants being successfully recruited thereafter. One of our employees, Wayne, had been out of work for 18 months before progressing into a care role with us, something he never thought he would do, this is what he had to say:
‘I really enjoyed it and the interaction with the group. The Care Foundation has given me the confidence to try care and I was able to use transferable skills I had previously gained. I would say to other people – give it a go. It’s a job, but not a job, you go home feeling good.’
Find out more about Wayne
Our most recent workshops took place in June and we had an amazing group of 7 people, of which so far, we have had three job offers and expect after shadowing to have more.