A partnership initiative between Housing 21 and Walsall College is helping to create job opportunities for Care-to-Care course graduates.
The housing association that provides over 49,000 hours of in-house care every week was approached by Walsall College almost 12 months ago. The course, which runs every four weeks has, helped students move from education into employment, kickstarting their careers in the care sector.
Nadine McCann, the Regional Extra Care Manager for Walsall and Central 5 at Housing 21 joins the first week of each course to introduce the organisation and its services, with every graduate guaranteed a job interview for a zero hour care worker post at one of Walsall or Sandwell’s Housing 21’s Extra Care schemes or our new Walsall Bank staff initiative.
Nadine said: “This initiative has proven very successful across the patch and led to sustained employment within the services.
“It is a very proactive partnership which is effective in helping with ongoing recruitment for the services within the area; this has alleviated some of the pressures of employee turnover which is a known issue within the care sector.”
One of the success stories is Claudia, a student at Walsall College who now works at Winehala Court, Housing 21’s scheme after a successful interview.
“I was invited to interview for a Care Worker position and from my very first day, I knew I had found a role that truly suited me,” she said.
“The course was a turning point, and my current job brings me a deep sense of purpose and fulfilment. I am truly happy with where I am today, and I’m excited about continuing to grow and develop in this field.”
This partnered approach benefits both organisations and is a new way of recruiting local people into Care Worker roles who have successfully achieved relevant qualifications in care.
Housing 21 offers a benefits package for Care Worker roles that align with those of its corporate employees, which includes paid annual leave, occupational sick pay and maternity/paternity pay. Aswell as a benefits package, Housing 21 has an industry-first Extra Care Academy for Care Workers to complete on the job learning and shadowing opportunities to support them to progress into their first management role and potentially senior management roles in the future, with the potential to earn £50k+ salaries.