Skills Support for the Workforce

Channing Lake began her career within the care industry at a care home setting which unfortunately had to close down due to financial circumstances, it was at this point that Acorn Training’s Health & Social Care Trainer Assessor, Rachel Schorah, reached out to those affected by job losses to reignite their career paths. Channing had played an active role in trying to keep the care home setting open, she was heavily involved in the process and demonstrated continued support for management and residents throughout the difficult time, showcasing her passion for the wellbeing of those requiring care.

During their first meeting, Rachel learnt that Channing was able to secure work in a Community Care Role and was keen to develop herself to provide improved levels of care to those she went out to visit. The unfortunate situation with her previous employer meant that Channing did not possess some of the basic knowledge required to deliver a care role so Rachel identified Channing as a key candidate for the Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) programme. The SSW programme, delivered by Serco and co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), enables participants to enhance skills and develop knowledge within their industry, providing significant benefits to both the employer and employee.

Acorn Training is part of Serco’s network of expert organisations chosen to deliver the SSW programme so Rachel was able to enrol Channing to work towards her Care Certificate and Level 2 Health & Social Care Diploma alongside the SSW programme. Channing completed 15 SSW modules and the diploma; learning up-to-date and vital knowledge to help her deliver the care role to a high standard. As Channing was operating out in the community, the programme developed her to become a leader, she quickly used her initiative to implement her newly-learnt skills into the homes she visited. This included things such as safeguarding practices, administering medication and dealing with conflicts.

Channing continued to demonstrate self-supported behaviour within her Community Care Role and successfully completed her Care Certificate and Level 2 Health & Social Care Diploma. One of the staff Channing worked with in the community knew of a lady seeking seeking full-time support and was impressed with the high-quality of care she received from Channing so offered to employ her directly and support her development. This enabled Channing to begin her Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker Apprenticeship and greatly increased her responsibilities. Channing was able to apply the transferable skills she had learnt previously to this new role and ensured she was well-placed to support the complex needs of the client. Restrictions created from the pandemic placed additional challenges to the client’s mental health and Channing became involved in more aspects of the client’s life such as house maintenance, organising family communications and budgeting all whilst ensuring a robust care plan was in place. 

Rachel and Channing regularly discussed her career plan and identified University as a future goal. Channing discovered that she was dyslexic when reviewing assessments with Rachel so achieving her Level 2 Maths and English qualifications were important to progress to reach her higher education goals. Despite challenges during the pandemic including having to home-school her own children and restrictions on face-to-face learning, Channing completed her Level 3 qualification early and is due for End Point Assessment soon. Channing applied for University, supporting her application with the knowledge and skill set developed over the past few years from both the teaching and practical elements of her various roles. She has been successful in receiving a place at University to study nursing starting in September. Channing commented on her joy at receiving a place “Developing myself and doing my apprenticeship has changed my life! I will be starting my nursing degree in September which I never thought I would be able to do. The support I have received has made this dream come true.”

The impact of the support Channing has received has seen her progress through a variety of roles within the care industry, each with increasing levels of responsibility and resulted in her achieving her end goal of studying in higher education towards a Nursing degree.