WHO CARES? IT COULD BE YOU. 

Do any of the following scenarios ring true for you? You’re a young person wondering what career would suit you. You’ve already worked for a few years and want to change your profession. You’ve taken a break from work, perhaps to care for a child or an elderly relative, but now you want to return to work. You’re unemployed and keen to find a job. 

Whatever your personal circumstances, one thing is true for almost everyone when it comes to work: we want a job that gives us purpose, makes us feel valued, and gives us a chance to make a difference. If this rings true for you, read about all the employment and skills projects happening in the Liverpool City Region, helping people like you find meaningful, rewarding work.

Challenging misconceptions

Meet Sharon Blaney, one person who achieves plenty of job satisfaction, not only for herself but for others. A project officer at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, she helps prepare individuals of different ages and sectors of the community to step into jobs and build successful careers. 

Whilst she enjoys her job immensely, Sharon finds that the amount of misinformation about some professions is a big challenge in helping people find the right career. She explains the issue:

“People can often rule out a particular career without researching all the facts. It’s surprising how many people make life-changing career decisions based on hearsay or out-of-date information. 

“It’s my job to address misconceptions and misinformation about jobs and professions, particularly in health and social care. For example, many people won’t consider roles providing one-to-one assistance to people in their own homes because they assume they will be self-employed. This just isn’t true. These jobs are offered by the person who requires care, supported by local authorities (individual employment). In all instances, they will be employed with staples like a contract of employment, holiday pay entitlement, training and a steady income, with flexibility.

“It’s vital to debunk myths like these, as we are an ageing population that desperately needs more skilled, dedicated care professionals.”

The right role

Working in partnership with employers with vacancies, Sharon spearheads various programmes designed to provide a real insight into professional care work. This “try before you buy” approach means applicants will already know what is involved in the roles they are applying for. This means they will be less likely to start a job and then find it doesn’t meet their expectations and leave.

These regional initiatives focus on helping people find jobs that actually suit their skills, strengths, and aspirations. They encourage newcomers to try out professional care work by opening their eyes to the wide range of opportunities in adult social care, such as looking after somebody in their own home, supporting nurses in hospital wards, or even becoming a translator for the NHS. 

Re-imagining professional care

Here are five ways Sharon is helping change attitudes, challenge misconceptions and provide insight into careers in professional care.  

1. Targeting mature LCR community residents

One sector of the community that Sharon is supporting is women & men over 50. These individuals usually have built up comprehensive life and work skills and, most likely, experience caring for children or elderly relatives. Through a Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, Sharon helped one group of mature residents discover how valuable their skills and experience are in the professional care sector. 

The initiative started with an open day for individuals to learn about different professional roles, followed by work placements as hospital healthcare assistants. The insight participants gained helped them decide if a career in care was for them. Several went on to successfully apply for and get jobs.

• A health & social care bulletin 

Sharon has arranged for regional vacancies in NHS trusts, social care and primary care to be included in a single weekly bulletin [https://lcrbemore.co.uk/news/]. So, anyone looking for a job in the sector only needs to go to one place! This has simplified things for the jobseeker and helps boost application numbers. 

• Supporting refugees

The LCR Combined Authority Skills & Employment team also helps refugees to participate in the local workforce. One way that this community sector can significantly contribute to the healthcare sector is by using their knowledge of other languages. Of course, language can be a big barrier for patients accessing NHS services, so interpreters are in high demand. Sharon helped regional NHS trusts fill gaps for these jobs with multi-lingual refugees. Partnering with the DWP and a translation service, she arranged for multi-lingual refugees to complete five days of intensive training and go on to fill positions where languages are in demand.

• Step Into Work

The LCR Skills and Employment team spearheads Step Into Work information sessions delivered by Sharon to inspire local people to consider becoming care professionals. The initiative offers a seven-day training programme and work experience, followed by a job interview. Ask your local Job Centre Plus (JCP) for more details. Every month, up to 70 people attend these information seminars, with the majority of them securing employment.

Youth of today are carers of tomorrow

In an inspired move, Sharon teamed up City of Liverpool College Health and Social Care students with those studying film-making [https://lcrbemore.co.uk/news/rewarding-careers-in-adult-social-care-support-boosted-by-student-designed-app/]. 

The result is a platform [https://www.3kd.uk/HealthAndSocialCare/] showcasing what careers in professional care are really like. A series of videos and content give a glimpse into what to expect. Devised by young people, the project is set to attract the next generation of talent into care careers. 

To find out more about a career in professional care or any of the above initiatives, please contact Sharon.