Vida Healthcare has launched its Aspiring Leaders Programme (ALP), a bespoke training course providing career development opportunities for staff.
The specialist dementia care provider hopes that the ALP will help bolster its efforts to combat the care sector’s staff retention and recruitment crisis. This follows news that Vida has recently attracted over 120 new staff members thanks to a range of initiatives.
The ALP is designed for staff looking to advance their careers and move into leadership or management roles, as well as those who have leadership and management experience and would like to refresh their skills and knowledge. Twenty four members of staff have already completed the programme, which has been set up as part of Vida Healthcare’s training platform, Vida Academy.
The programme comprises 10 modules, hosted both on a video conferencing platform and in-person at Vida’s latest care home, Vida Court, in Harrogate. Modules include: ‘Why would anyone follow me?’, ‘Thrive or survive’, ‘Reflective practice’, and ‘Developing higher performing teams’.
Programme leader Helen Daly, learning development manager at Vida Healthcare, said: “My aim as the coordinator of our education initiatives and programmes at Vida Healthcare is to ensure a clear focus on clinical leadership and a robust evidence base to deliver positive outcomes. We launched the ALP to give every voice at Vida the chance to be heard, and to invest in our colleagues with crucial career development opportunities at a time when many sectors are struggling to support their people.
“Becoming a manager has always been considered the natural next step for any individual who is progressing in their career. However not all managers are born with the ability to be great leaders. Some of the best only excel once they’re taught the skills they need to oversee a complex and dynamic workforce. We provide opportunities to learn new management skills and learn how to support other team members in their own career development. We launched the ALP programme to support our employees in management roles and hone their skills, particularly those who are new to a more senior role and may feel the pressure to perform well but lack the training they need.”
