The Prince’s Trust, a charity that helps young people get into work, has partnered with Embark Learning Care Academy, an established training provider for the social care sector.
To help reduce the skills gap in the care sector and ensure that young people who are unemployed, or who struggled during school, to gain employment, The Prince’s Trust has provided them with a free course that also includes a job interview once the course has been completed.
The four-week course, ‘First Steps into Care’ was held at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club in August, and was produced and taught by established training provider, Embark Learning Care Academy, which provides carers, new or fully qualified, with nationally recognised qualifications.
Throughout the course, learners gained core skills, such as team building, communication, mental health and well-being and study skills, they also learned about various roles in social care and career path options. 10 learners commenced the course, all achieved an accredited Health & Social Care qualification and 9 out of the 10 learners secured employment after a successful interview.
Learners were aged between 18-30 and didn’t need any previous experience in the care sector to take part in this course.
One learner, Marlo, said: “I had a great experience and I have learned a lot during the past four weeks. I feel one step closer in achieving my dream, thank you for that.”
Head of Contracts at Embark Learning, Eyad Hanash, commented: “We’ve been so proud to launch the ‘First Steps into Care’ programme in partnership with The Prince’s Trust. The programme was built on the huge success of the ‘My Care Portfolio’ programme that we currently run, which offers participants a practical insight and opportunity to embark on a rewarding career in care and build their confidence in learning new skills and interacting with new people. We’re thrilled with how the course has been received by the local learners and are looking forward to continuing this fantastic initiative with the Prince’s Trust.”
Jason Wright, Service Delivery Manager (Health and Social Care) at The Prince’s Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Embark Learning Care Academy to deliver this exciting programme to support young people into careers in the health sector.”