Early Talent for social care recruitment?

National Apprenticeship Week and Social Care Recruitment

Cohesion have long been advocates of early talent for social care recruitment, and utilising younger workers to make up some of the half a million deficit of carers required for future demand. We believe that encouraging younger people into a career in care has a huge number of benefits, both for the candidate and the care company. The possibilities for career development in the care sector are vast and it is important to share these when engaging with schools and colleges. Currently only 9% of carers in the UK are aged 25 and under. With the impact of Covid-19 still being felt all over the world, and likely to continue for some time, many young people are considering apprenticeships over a remote learning University experience. The Kickstart Scheme Grant Funding is still available for employers creating new placements for 16 to 24 year olds who are receiving Universal Credit. There has never been a better time to consider Apprenticeships for your care business if you don’t currently have any in place or expanding existing schemes. It is important to develop meaningful learning pathways for your apprentices including mentoring, coaching and retention interviews. The latest Skills for Care state of the adult social care sector and workforce report measured turnover of 46.9% for those under 20 years of age.

Cohesion specialise in social care recruitment and have been pleased to support a number of clients with increasing the age diversity of their new starters. A recent campaign to recruit 130 frontline workers for Fairlie Healthcare saw over 51% of successful candidates aged 25 and under. We are also the exclusive resellers of Care Character an academically research psychometric tool designed specifically for the Care sector. Candidate engagement in social care recruitment is essential to drive down the large numbers of drop off between offer and start typically seen by the sector. It has been proven in a number of studies that the recruitment process and onboarding process encountered by a candidate greatly impacts how they feel about the company, what they tell their friends and family and impacts on retention levels.

If you aren’t sure where to start or would like to know more give us a call today and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.

We will be holding an event on the 18^th March to discuss digital selection procedures in social care recruitment and introducing Care Character. You can sign up to attend the online webinar below.