Why learning and development matters for the future of social care

Victoria Collier, Head of National Workforce Development Capability and Skills at Skills for Care, discusses why it’s so important to keep learning across social care.

I’m pleased that we’re kicking off the new year at Skills for Care by shining our spotlight on learning and development.

Learning and development is so important this year and beyond, in building a sustainable social care workforce. We know that providing regular learning and development opportunities supports retention and growth of the workforce, as well as building skills and confidence.

This ensures we have the right people with the right skills working in social care to meet current and future needs.

Strategic support for learning across social care

Strategic developments are underway to support the development, skills and sustainability of the future workforce, this includes the first ever Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England. This strategic work helps set the direction for learning and development across the sector to ensure we have enough of the right people with the right skills working in care.

Since the Strategy launched in in 2025, 50% of its recommendations are already completed or in progress.

We have also seen the development of the first ever universal career structure for adult social care in England.

The Care Workforce Pathway launched in January 2024 and is a comprehensive framework designed to clearly define the requirements for staff wanting to progress in adult social care. It’s the first time the care sector has seen a universal career structure setting out the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours required to deliver high-quality, personalised care and support at different levels and in different roles across care.

Learning for managers

As managers and leaders in social care, ongoing learning and development at all levels will ensure you stay updated with best practice and new advancements in social care.

Some of the most common queries we receive at Skills for Care are around learning and development and qualifications for registered managers and this is something we’ll be exploring in depth within our #KeepLearning campaign.

Skills for Care’s latest data shows that an estimated 61% of registered managers were recorded as having a social care qualification at Level 5 or above, while an estimated 29% of deputy mangers were recorded as having the same.

Our data also tells us that 13% of registered managers don’t hold any relevant social care qualifications, while 26% of all managerial staff have no relevant social care qualifications.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) requires registered managers to demonstrate that they are fit, competent and experienced to lead a service. While a formal social care qualification is not always a prerequisite at the point of registration, managers are generally expected to hold or be working towards a relevant leadership qualification.

Ongoing learning and development and gaining qualifications will support you to continue to feel motivated and confident in your role and progress further in your career.

Prioritising your own learning and development as a manger is also key in role modelling the importance of learning and development to your team.

Developing your team

We know that providing learning and development opportunities plays a vital role in finding and keeping staff.

Skills for Care’s latest data tells us that average turnover for staff who had received training was 25.1% compared to 30.4% for those who hadn’t.

We need around 470,000 new posts across social care by 2040 and so a focus on finding and keeping staff must be a priority, and learning and development is key to this.

Yet, we know from our most recent data that in 2024/205 the proportion of care and support workers with a Level 2 qualification has fallen to 38% - down from 41% in 2023/24 and 48% 2018/19.

It’s really important that as we move into the new year, managers and employers address this falling uptake in qualifications and invest in upskilling their staff.

This will help staff to build confidence as well as new skills; to feel valued and esteemed in their role, and to grow as professionals. This makes people feel happier and more motivated in their roles, and as such more likely to build a long-term career in social care with more opportunities to progress.

Ultimately this will mean more people with more skills able to provide the best-quality care to our communities.

Find out more with our #KeepLearning spotlight.

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