Articles

The Social Care Sector – why it’s hard to attract young people

18/01/2018

There is a huge shortage of care workers, with literally hundreds of job vacancies. So why is it that young people are not choosing this as a career? One of the reasons is possibly the lack of awareness about the job, and all it entails.

Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University Management School, Carolyn Downs admits that taking care of people in their own homes is one of those ‘invisible jobs’. Many young people don’t even know it is happening.

Another reason for the lack of young people in the care sector is that there is a certain stigma attached to care work. The reputation leads people to have the attitude that if they cannot find anything else, then ‘there’s always care work’.

While most people who work in the care sector say that it is very rewarding, other people may see it as demanding, and not rewarding at all.   

One idea is that if care workers had formal training, for example in dementia, diabetes, or disability, it may raise the appeal of the job as a career. While there may not be too much more money, there may be more status. There needs to be a clear career path so that people can see progress in a particular area.

Proud to Care arrange ambassadors who visit schools and colleges to try to spread the word, because traditionally social care is not promoted. Many people are unaware of the vast selection of jobs which are available in the care sector.

Sally-Ann Turner, project manager of Proud to Care says that the project is designed to target young people who could benefit from work experience before they start their studies in subjects such as social work and medicine. Ms Turner also plans to reach people who will leave school with less qualifications, and are concerned about a career path.

Dimensions – another employer in the care sector – are working on a new style of recruiting, aimed at strengthening the workforce to attract young people, whether they get top grades or not. They believe in recruiting people based on their values such as respect and integrity, rather than skills, because they believe that skills can be taught. If people have the right values, they will be able to learn all that is needed for their jobs.

Duncan Bell, PR Manager at Dimensions says that this has been very successful, with staff retention being among the best in the sector. Mr Bell says that a quarter of their workforce is under the age of 25, and he puts this down to good values in their employees.

Mr Bell went on to say that the company does not require Maths or English qualifications, as these subjects can be taught as part of training. Dimensions will even part-fund driving lessons if this is needed for a position. It is important to go the extra mile to remove barriers for the right person.

Placing yourself in the position of someone who receives care is a very good way to understand why the work is so vital. Most care workers are honest about the difficulties they encounter, particularly with people who have dementia. They will also admit that there is a great deal of laughter and human connection in their jobs. If we want young people to choose a career in the care sector, then it helps for them to get the full picture of the daily reality of the job. Helping someone to live their life can be very rewarding, possibly better than many other jobs.

In a workshop run by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, students put themselves in the place of someone who needed care. They donned ear defenders to muffle sounds, wore goggles that blurred their sight, and thick gloves so they restricted movement.

Once people put themselves in the place of a person who needs care, they begin to see things from a different angle. The workshops demonstrated how important it is to teach younger people about feeling compassion, and taking care of others in a dignified manner.

One of the Proud to Care ambassadors, Robert, who visits schools and colleges says that it is vitally important to raise awareness about the social care sector with young people. This way, they will be less inclined to think of care work as a ‘last resort’, and think of it as a worthy career.