Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEducation - further and higherEconomics, government & businessHR strategyLearning & development

Graduates offered £20K to train as social work managers

by Kat Baker 5 May 2009
by Kat Baker 5 May 2009

Government plans to offer graduates £20,000 to take up a career in social care will not go far enough to ease the sector’s recruitment crisis, experts have warned.

Later this month the Department of Health will launch apilot ‘national management training programme’ for 20 recent graduates from any discipline, which will offer each person a £20,000 ‘golden hello’ to take the course. The Department has said the money can be used by students to support them while they study.

The programme, run by the National Skills Academy (NSA), will cost £745,000 and is hoped to attract new talent into the profession.

However, Des Kelly, chief executive of the National Care Forum which represents not-for-profit care providers, warned that the proposals were too “modest” to attract people to the industry long-term.

He told Personnel Today: “One incentive on its own is not enough. Getting good leaders into the sector is a start but it’s just one approach to the problem. It’s not a magic bullet.”

Kelly said more funding should be directed towards promoting career paths in the sector. Recruits must also receive proper staff supervision to help them see social work as a desirable career, he added.

Research by Personnel Today’s sister publication Community Care revealed last month that more than a quarter of care workers currently receive no supervision, and are unaware of valid career paths.

Moira Brown, HR director at private care provider Care South, questioned the impact the management scheme might have on a sector which struggles to recruit junior, frontline staff.

“It’s good to hear about this initiative by the government, but we can’t forget that we need other people to do the hands-on work. We need more people actually delivering the operational heart of the business,” she said.

Jill Timms, group manager in charge of HR at private care firm Peverel Court Care Homes, said training courses need better accreditation so that people outside the industry were aware of their worth and the level of skills involved.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About one in nine social care positions remain vacant, according to recent research, and the stress of working in the sector has caused 72% of social workers to say they feel close to burnout.

Jennifer Bernard, the consulting director who will run the traiing programme for the NSA, said: “We hope [the programme] will help with recruitment in the sector. It’s a great way to get people into social care and once in they can spread the word about the opportunities available.”

Kat Baker

previous post
NHS security alarms will help find and protect lone workers
next post
Bonus schemes still in use by 80% of firms

You may also like

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Uncertainty over law hampering legal use of medical...

20 May 2025

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Employers ‘worryingly’ ignorant about stress risk assessments

20 May 2025

UK and EU agree to collaborate on ‘youth...

19 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+