Apprenticeship success in social care

News release 4 April 2012

Apprenticeship numbers in social care continue to increase. The total number of starts on the joint health and social care framework is 52,541. The majority of these 50,472, are in social care.

Social care employers recognise the benefits of supporting their staff through Apprenticeships. An Apprenticeship is a work-based training programme which leads to a nationally recognised qualification and includes on the job training and off the job learning.

Quality in design and delivery are essential to Apprenticeships. The joint Health and Social Care Apprenticeship framework outlines what an apprentice needs to complete in order to successfully achieve their Apprenticeship.

Skills for Care welcomes the governments proposal of a minimum timeframe for completing an Apprenticeship. This will to prevent poor quality and inappropriate acceleration of the programme ensuring apprentices are supported through the framework effectively.

"I've met employers who have had great success with Apprenticeships and who talk about the confidence and skills their apprentices have gained. Because of the broad range of qualifications included in the framework, Apprenticeships provide a solid foundation for career progression," says Skills for Care CEO Sharon Allen.

"I am confident that Apprenticeships are an important option in the mix of qualifications available to increase the skills of the social care workforce.

Media enquiries:

Sarah Spurr: 0113 2411246 sarah.spurr@skillsforcare.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. Skills for Care is the employment-led strategic body for workforce development in adult social care in England, which is licensed jointly with its UK allies by UKCES to be the 'Skills for Care and Development' Sector Skills Council (SSC). Both organisations are chaired by Professor David Croisdale-Appleby. The other members of the SSC are the Children's Workforce Development Council (also for England), the General Social Care Council, the Scottish Social Services Council, the Care Council for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.
2. Skills for Care forms a strategic overview of workforce needs in adult social care, which accounts for nearly 1.56 million workers spread over 48,300 establishments employing care staff. Skills for Care members are drawn from groups representing public, private and voluntary sector care employers, along with representatives of staff, trainers, service users and informal carers. Social care includes residential care, domiciliary care and social work with all its specialisms.
3. Skills for Care and its SSC allies promote and develop the social care sector's National Occupational Standards which are statements of competence that describe 'best practice'.
4. Skills for Care area networks are major brokers of funding for social care workforce development.
5. The Specification for Apprenticeship Standards England (SASE) joint Health and Social Care Apprenticeship framework has been in place since May 2011