Why training is important for the care sector

My name is Dan and I am the Director of Your Training - Your Way and when I was approached by Sam at Log my Care to see if we would be interested in writing a piece for their page I jumped at the chance. This is because they very much share the same core values that we as an organisation do; Valuing Feedback, Reducing the amount of time Carers spent off the floor but most importantly putting the focus back into why we all take up a role within the sector, CARING!

Here at Your Training - Your Way we keep things simple and as our name suggests the training we deliver is done how you want and need it to be done, at a time that suits your organisation and all at an affordable cost.

Why is training so important?

At a time that the Department for Health and Social Care have been granted £3M by our Government for a recruitment drive to fill the 100,000+ vacancies across the sector due to around 400,000 social care workers leaving the sector every year - a turnover rate of 30.7%, twice the national average but why has this occurred?

With low wages, lack of available training and very little job progression it is no wonder that this has occurred. As Richard Branson famously said, train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to. That being said it is understandable as to why employers are finding it increasingly difficult to find means of doing so. In the last 9 years the sector has seen drastic cuts not only in real terms investment but also by the removal of Nurse Bursaries and the implementation of the Apprenticeship Levy.

What does this mean?

• Just over 1 million certificates were awarded in 2018 Q1, a decrease of 5.7% on the same quarter of 2017.
• There were 98,900 learners with Advanced Learner Loans between17/18 compared to 83,900 for the same period in 16/17.
• Staff turnover rate in the sector is 30.7%, equating to nearly 400,000 people leaving care jobs every year.
• For the first time in history, there are now more people leaving than joining the service.

It is clear although a recruitment drive is needed it is not going to solve the long-term underlying issues with approx. 350,000 extra staff needed by 2030. The long-term solution would be to review the low wages, lack of available funding for training and in turn giving those the chance for job progression through up-skilling. By understanding that developing your employees will benefit your business in several ways. For example:

• A more highly skilled, engaged workforce will be more flexible and adaptable
• Your staff retention numbers will increase
• You'll suffer lower absenteeism rates
• Quality of care improves, and costs fall

By investing in training your employees, you are providing them with the tools to develop personally and professionally - and this is what today's employees crave above all else. Which brings us back as to why we started Your Training - Your Way. With training opportunities at an affordable cost with the flexibility to work around you and your staff, it will remove the stigma that training takes time and can be expensive.

Remember, too, that people want to continue to grow. Now is the time to have a conversation about the next stage in their personal development plan. By doing so, you will reaffirm your belief in them and that you want what they want: their career to continue to develop. And it is this attitude and commitment that will develop the employee's trust and loyalty in their employer.

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