Swansea Council to offer high-quality training to potential care staff

A unique project from Swansea Council is providing young adults with training opportunities that will allow them to pursue a career in the care sector.

High quality training is being made accessible to local young people in the Swansea area in order to ensure there is a new generation of care workers for adults with learning disabilities.

William Evans, cabinet member for learning and skills at Swansea Council, said: “This is a really positive way of working which means all parties win. The motivated young people who get exceptional training working alongside the experts; the Council, which knows its new recruits are passionate about their work and have the right skills and experience, and the service-users who are being cared for by people who believe in their work.”

Janette Jones, who is the community services manager for learning disabilities and her colleague Alison Leggett have become care ambassadors, establishing links with local schools, colleges and job centres to allow young people access to high quality training to allow them to provide support and social opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.

Ms Jones said: “I’ve always been committed to giving local young people the chance to train with us; we have recruited numerous dedicated staff members this way who are forging successful and fulfilling careers in social services now.”

Similar relationships have been created with the council training services to open doors for young adults to become the future generation of care staff. Ms Leggett noted that regardless of young people’s educational background: “The main skill we are looking for is the ability to relate to and show compassion towards the people who need to be cared for. Potential social care workers need to have a belief that everyone regardless of disability has the right to reach their full potential.”