Skills for Care’s ‘Keep learning to build your future’ campaign is highlighting the importance of learning and development in securing a sustainable adult social care sector.
Running throughout January and February, the initiative provides information and practical examples of learning and development in action and answer common queries around training and qualifications in social care.
It will support people working across adult social care to prioritise their own learning and development, upskill their team and the future workforce, and understand what is happening at a strategic level to strengthen the sector.
Data shows the impact that investing in learning has on building a more confident and competent workforce, supporting with staff retention so we have enough people with the right skills now and in the future.
In the latest Skills for Care ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce’ report, it was found that the average turnover rate amongst care workers who had received some form of training was 25.1 per cent, compared to 30.4 per cent for those who had not.
Care workers who received more training opportunities also generally had lower turnover rates than those with fewer instances of training. The average turnover rate amongst care workers with one to five instances of training was 26.3 per cent, decreasing to 22.9 per cent for those with more than 30 instances of training.
More training was also linked to better CQC scores.
Victoria Collier, head of national workforce development, capability and skills at Skills for Care, said: “I’m excited that we’re starting the new year with a focus on learning and development, and spotlighting how vital learning and development is in building the future of social care.
“We know that providing access to learning and development opportunities has a significant impact on staff satisfaction and retention, and can also attract more new people to work in care.
“As we project the need for around 470,000 new posts by 2040, building a sustainable workforce with the skills and confidence to meet the current and future needs of our communities must be prioritised.”
