Up to 1.5 million
adult social care workers currently working in England will be
able to improve their skills as the National Skills Academy for
Social Care was launched today by Skills Minister Kevin Brennan
and Care Services Minister Phil Hope.
Backed by over £6m of Government funding, the National Skills
Academy (NSA) for Social Care will also train some of the
estimated future 1 million highly skilled care workers needed to
care for our ageing population. It will equip our workforce with
the skills they need for the jobs of the future and will raise the
status of careers in social care.
Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said:
“Now, more than ever, we need to develop training that empowers a
new generation to realise their ambitions, and to deliver the very
best patient care. And we need employers to be involved at every
step. A new National Skills Academy for Social Care will help
build a world-beating workforce that will improve standards and
help shape rewarding careers: not just among new recruits but
within the existing workforce.”
The Skills Academy will create a powerful partnership which
allows employers to shape the training needed in the sector. It
will direct learning support and training practice for 35,000
employers, with particular emphasis on small and medium-sized
organisations.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:
“The National Skills Academy for Social Care is a unique and
exciting development for the care sector. We need to ensure that
we have a workforce in place that is well equipped to deliver high
quality services driven by the people who use them. The
employer-led Skills Academy will be the driving force to ensure
this.
"The Skills Academy will also play a key role in
implementing the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy which we
launched earlier this year. I want to boost the status of social
care so that the sector can attract and retain the best and
brightest candidates.”
The Skills Academy aims to inspire those currently working in
social care, and help them to develop, alongside attracting more
people into a rewarding career in social care. It is the first
public sector National Skills Academy and the 13 th to join the
network as an active of Skills Academy.
Supported by the Department of Health, the Skills Academy has
already introduced a National Management Trainee Scheme to attract
some of the executives of the future into the adult social care
workforce. This scheme, with a pilot of 20 graduates is the first
of its kind for social care. The one-year course is hosted by 20
employers across England and is designed for current graduates
from a range of disciplines.
The NSA also plans to increase take-up of apprenticeships at both
foundation and advanced levels for young people and adults and to
drive up numbers of adults qualified to at least NVQ level 2 and
level 3.
Notes to Editors
1. Initially the NSA will be funded by the Department of Health
and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills through the
Learning and Skills Council. It will receive over £6m in
Government funding in its first three years, alongside sponsorship
from employers. It will then be expected to be self-sustainable.
2. The National Skills Academy for Social Care is part of a
national network of Skills Academies (13 now active) which are
driven by business and delivering high quality skills that
business needs across all the key sectors of the economy. Around
880,000 people will be trained by the National Skills Academies
during their first five years of operation – securing around £130m
in employer investment.
3. National Skills Academies are the gold standard for industry
training, aiming to improve productivity and tackle skills
shortages across England. Each National Skills Academy puts
employers at the heart of skills training for their sector: they
identify demand for future skills needs and ensure a responsive
supply of excellent education and training for their sector; they
ensure this is easily accessed by employers. It is managed by the
Learning and Skills Council working in partnership with the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the UK Commission
for Employment and Skills, the Skills for Business Network, and
the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
4. Those active are: Manufacturing, Construction, Financial
Services, Food and Drink Manufacturing, Nuclear, Process
Industries, Hospitality, Creative and Cultural Skills, Sport
& Active Leisure, Retail and Materials, Production
& Supply and, most recently, Enterprise and now Social
Care.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Jane Parsons
Phone: 020 7215 5947
Jane.Parsons@bis.gsi.gov.uk