Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019 - 204

in touch with local care centres and offer
your services. Personal experience of
caring for a relative can also demonstrate
knowledge and commitment.
Your first paid position is likely to be
as a care worker or healthcare assistant,
providing emotional and practical support.
If you're making home visits, your duties
will vary according to the client.

Qualified for care
You don't need any specific qualifications
to work in most areas of care, but they
will help you to progress. You can usually
train while in work, taking Regulated
Qualifications Framework exams in health
and social care. Apprenticeships are also
available, which enable you to work and
learn alongside experienced staff, gaining
skills and knowledge while also earning.
Some care providers run apprenticeships
that lead to jobs within that company.

Caring for younger adults
There are 1.5 million jobs supporting
adults with physical or mental disabilities
and it's a fast-growing employment area.
The majority (75%) of the workforce is
employed on a permanent contract.
Roles in the sector include adult
learning disability support worker, which
doesn't require specific qualifications.
As with all jobs in this field, patience,
tact, compassion and resilience are vital.

Voluntary experience in the social work or
care sector can also help you land a job.
Youth workers are involved in helping
young people reach their potential, in
their education and personal lives. You'll

"You need a desire to make a difference"
David Evans is head
of talent acquisition
at Sunrise Senior
Living & Gracewell
Healthcare
"It's a misconception that
for a successful career
within the adult social care
industry candidates need
to have worked within the
sector. What is important
is to have the right values
and attitude to deliver
the best care experiences
for our residents.
"Comprehensive
training will give you the
confidence to deliver care
safely but the company

204 /// JOBS & CAREERS

can't make you care. It
needs to be one of your
life qualities to possess a
desire to make a difference
to the quality of the
resident's daily lives.
The majority of our
live roles right now are
within care and nursing
in the homes, but we also
have roles in finance, HR
and marketing based
at our support office.
"Working in care is
hard work and our team
members need to be
resilient, strong team
players. We are actively
looking at how we can
raise the number of men

coming into the sector,
as the industry standard
is just 7%. As an Age
Positive employer, we
also welcome applications
from mature candidates
looking to re-enter the
world of work on a fullor part-time basis."

support them with issues such as bullying,
gangs, drugs, violence and difficult
family relationships, help run youth
activities and projects, create business
plans and apply for funding. A bachelor's
degree validated by the National Youth
Agency is usually the minimum entry
requirement. Additional professional
training is available to graduates
who don't hold a relevant degree.
Social workers also help vulnerable
adults and their families. It's a role in
which you're likely to encounter emotional
distress, so you'll need to be compassionate
and resilient. You'll also need a degree
in social work approved by the Health &
Care Professions Council or, if you have an
unrelated undergraduate degree, undertake
do a two-year postgraduate diploma or
master's degree in social work.

Find out more
* City & Guilds
cityandguilds.com
* Health & Care Professions
Council hcpc-uk.org
* Volunteering in Care Homes
ncvo.org.uk
http://www.cityandguilds.com http://www.hcpc-uk.org http://ncvo.org.uk
Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019
