‘Get into Care’ Experience
The week-long course introduces the social care sector and supports those taking part to gain the skills, knowledge and practical training they need to secure a role in care.
After taking part in the course recently, Nikki and Tamara have both been successful in securing care roles in North Tyneside. They spoke to us about their experiences:
Nikki’s experience…
Nikki knew she wanted to work in care as she likes to make sure people are happy, having fun and never feel low about anything. When asked why she took part in the course she said:
“I liked the fact that care was different day to day and it’s nice to have a good chat and talk to people. I felt that the role of a care assistant was to make sure people were safe and happy and that they were helped to maintain hygiene.“
“I enjoyed all the course and had great support. I learned about values in health and social care, gained practical skills with using mobility aids and equipment as well as learn about infection prevention and control.“
“I learned so much about the different care roles as well as always doing risk assessments, using the equipment safely and the importance of following policies and procedures.“
“The course really helped me to achieve my objective of gaining more confidence, working as part of a team and being better prepared for employment and interview.”
Tamara’s experience…
Tamara ‘s previous personal experience of caring for a family member sparked her want to work in care.
Her time caring for someone instilled her belief that a role in care was for her and she’d be supporting people to talk to clients, helping them wash and dress and support day to day living.
“I learned a lot about all of the different types of jobs and careers you can have in care, and all of the different settings” she said while talking about the course.“
“One big thing that came across for me was dignity and respect and the importance of active listening and working in partnership.”
“I enjoyed the parts about learning the different equipment, how to use it and how to do risk assessments to keep people safe.”
“At the end of the course I felt much more prepared for employment and to head into job interviews. It really boosted my confidence.”
Why join the Get Into Care course?
We spoke to Jude from North Tyneside’s Employment and Skills Team about the course, and why she’d encourage more people to sign up:
“I am delighted for Nikki and Tamara in securing roles in social care. Both were very passionate about working in care and making a difference to people’s lives by offering support. It is great that they enjoyed the course so much, they really gave it their all and got fully involved in all the activities.”
“Both were quite nervous on the first day and felt like they had no experience and didn’t know what to expect. Working in care is much more about having the right values and there are loads of transferable skills that people have. Exploring these with them helped to affirm this was the right career choice for them and it is great that they felt that Get into Care course helped to improve their confidence.”
There are so many different roles within social care and people often don’t realise what is available or the different types of social care.
“I always aim to dispel some of the myths around working in the sector as well as giving people the knowledge to explore areas they had not previously considered such as working with younger people with disabilities; mental health issues or learning disabilities.”
“There is so much more to social care than home care and care homes with many opportunities for career development too. For me, it is all about the job satisfaction you get when working in social care. Every day really is different and you can go home feeling that you made a huge difference to someone’s life by offering person-centred care, companionship and support. Promoting independence is key and helping people to be more empowered and have more control over their life.”
“We also provide a whole host of accredited qualifications for those wishing to specialise in areas such as dementia care; end-of-life-care; mental health; learning disabilities; autism as well as many general care topics such as falls prevention; infection control; common health conditions; care planning to name but a few.“
“I would encourage anyone who is not 100% sure, to give it a try and book onto one of our ‘taster’ session to find out more.”
Interested in booking a place at the next ‘Get into Care’ course?
Please confirm your attendance by email at:
North Tyneside Council Employment and Skills
They offer a range of personalised part-time courses for adults in the health, social care, and education sectors from level 1 to level 3.
Learn more about North Tyneside’s Employment and Skills ‘Get into Care’ course on their website.
