A group of young Bupa care home workers were recruited to the care sector via a scheme with the Prince’s Trust and Barclays/ The next steps for Bupa’s partnership with The Prince’s Trust and Barclays’ Connect with Work programme were announced this week.
The care home operator plans to expand the programme into five further areas during the first half of 2020, working with its homes in Cardiff, Southampton, Birmingham, London and Edinburgh. Around 50 young people will benefit from the plans to secure traineeships at Bupa.
Aimed at people from often-overlooked communities who are struggling to get a foot on the career ladder, the Connect with Work programme offers training and skills-based sessions, as well as hands-on experience with employers.
Shelley Haynes, who manages employability programmes at Bupa, explains: “After a successful pilot last year, we’re really excited to expand the number of homes involved in Barclays’ Connect with Work programme. It’s such a rewarding project – not only for the young people who can build their CVs and their confidence, but for the homes too.
“We’ve chosen these five additional areas as they’re all areas where our network overlaps with that from The Prince’s Trust. For example, we’ve five homes around Southampton, so will be able to welcome trainees into a number of roles.
“We’ve been blown away by the quality of the candidates we’ve met so far and have been able to recruit people who are perfect for our homes, who otherwise might not have considered working in the sector. Here’s hoping for even more great results in 2020.”
Since Bupa joined Barclays’ Connect with Work programme in 2019, a total of 13 young people have now undertaken placements at Bupa’s Kensington care home in West London. Split across two cohorts, in June and November, the individuals received hands-on experience alongside care home workers throughout all areas of the home including activities, catering, housekeeping and maintenance.
To date, four of the trainees have become care home workers at Bupa’s The Kensington home, while one has been offered a role at Bupa’s Heathgrove Lodge in Wimbledon. Bupa colleagues also continue to look for suitable care home vacancies for the other candidates.
Barclays’ Connect with Work programme is a unique employability programme connecting people who are facing barriers to work with businesses that are recruiting. Working in partnership with impactful charity partners, including The Prince’s Trust, the programme provides job-specific skills training that meets the needs of both the people being supported into work and businesses that are recruiting.
For more information, visit www.bupa.com.
