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Date posted: 30/08/2024
With 1.4 million staff, the National Health Service (NHS) is the largest employer in Europe. Yet despite its cherished status, there is a growing acknowledgment that change is needed.
It's often said that the NHS’s problems are partly down to having too many managers. Yet there’s a growing argument that the opposite is true.
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Date posted: 30/07/2024
The launch of a new Workforce Strategy for adult social care in England is being hailed as a turning point for care – as new data from Skills for Care shows the sector still has a vacancy rate around three times higher than the wider economy.
Professor Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, and co-chair of the Workforce Strategy Steering Group said: “The case for change is clear. We’re going to need hundreds of thousands more care workers, with the right skills and values, over the next 15 years – yet right now the sector still has a vacancy rate around three times higher than that of the wider economy and is struggling to compete in local job markets.
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Date posted: 28/06/2024
Despite receiving a lot of advice on what you should do as a manager to be successful, you may still be doing things that you believe are excellent practices but are actually detrimental. According to the Achievers Workforce Institute's 2023 research, only 28% of employees would refer their supervisor to others.
t2 group's leadership and management programmes can help managers develop, lead, and motivate a high-performing team. For more information visit our Leadership and Management apprenticeships page.
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Date posted: 20/05/2024
The government is set to relax off-the-job training requirements in apprenticeships, new rules published today have revealed.
From July 31, 2024, "active learning" can take place every three months, up from the current every calendar month rule, for apprenticeships that have front-loaded or block-release delivery models.
The Department for Education revealed it was reviewing the “minimum requirement” for active learning, which refers to off-the-job and English and maths training, in draft rules for 2024/25 published in March.
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Date posted: 23/04/2024
We are proud to announce that t2 group has received the prestigious Skills for Care endorsement. This endorsement recognises our ongoing commitment to providing outstanding training for the health and social care sector.
Skills for Care endorsement is a trusted mark of quality assurance which allows you to have confidence in a learning provider's training services. Only the best learning and development providers in the health and social care sector pass this tough endorsement process, which covers the key factors involved in care skills training.
Skills for Care was established in 2001, as the strategic body which oversees development and planning for adult social care in England. Additionally, they worked with Health Education England and Skills for Health to develop the Care Certificate, which assesses the fundamental skills and knowledge required in all social care providers in England.
Skills for Care states "To become endorsed you must be able to clearly evidence that the training delivered makes a significant difference, not only to the learner but also to the person accessing care and support."
The Skills for Care endorsement signifies that t2 group's health and social care apprenticeships align with the highest industry standards and are designed to enhance the skills and competencies of healthcare professionals working in adult social care. It reinforces the company's position as a trusted and reliable partner for organisations seeking comprehensive and effective training.
t2 group will now feature in the Skills for Care online endorsed learning provider directory, widely used by employers looking to commission high-quality training.
Date posted: 19/03/2024
Up to 20,000 additional apprenticeships are expected to be created by Rishi Sunak as part of a number of changes that include fully supporting youth training and reducing red tape for small enterprises.
Beginning on April 1, the government will cover the entire cost of apprenticeships for those under the age of 21 at small businesses.
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Date posted: 05/02/2024
Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of the government’s plans to provide people with an excellent route into some of the best careers and contributing to a high-skill, high-productivity economy.
Since 2010, over 5.7 million people have started their apprenticeship journey and the government is increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024-25, ensuring businesses have a pipeline of talent to grow the economy.
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Date posted: 12/01/2024
The government's most recent initiatives to strengthen the domestic pipeline into adult social care in England include investments in nursing apprenticeships and the creation of a new care qualification.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a set of initiatives supported by £75 million in funding, claiming that these would encourage careers in social care and attract new talent to the field.
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Date posted: 14/12/2023
An excellent manager sets themself apart from others not only by the message they deliver but also by modelling and upholding certain beliefs and behaviours. A good manager can produce results, but a great manager also uses certain leadership abilities to make an impact on teams and organisations, magnify success, and spur development.
t2 group's leadership and management programmes can help new managers develop, lead, and motivate a high-performing team. For more information visit our Leadership and Management apprenticeships page.
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Date posted: 23/11/2023
The national living wage (NLW) in England will jump from £10.42 to £11.44 per hour in April of next year, providing tens of thousands of care workers with a 10% pay raise.
Employees who are 21 and 22 years old will also be subject to the NLW, which will increase their pay floor from the national minimum wage (NMW), which is now £10.18 per hour.
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Date posted: 24/10/2023
‘Accidental managers’ with no formal leadership training are contributing to almost one in three workers quitting, a new study has revealed.
In the study a quarter (26 per cent) of senior managers and leaders and half (52 per cent) of managers also claimed they have had no formal management or leadership training.
t2 group's leadership and management programmes can help new managers develop, lead, and motivate a high-performing team. For more information visit our Leadership and Management apprenticeships page.
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Date posted: 21/09/2023
The UK's fastest-growing industry is the health and social care sector, which is also one of only two that have not seen a fall in the number of new firms.
The most prosperous industries in 2023 so far have been identified by Forbes Advisor after analysing the most recent UK business demography information.
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Date posted: 24/08/2023
A national government survey, which aims to record the views of those working in the field and assist improvements over time, has been directed at nurses who work in adult social care.
On behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, Skills for Care has launched a poll in collaboration with the University of Kent, market research firm Ipsos, and Skills for Care.
Read the full article here
Date posted: 28/07/2023
In 2022–2023, England's adult social care workforce began to expand once more, per fresh information from Skills for Care.
The annual Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report found that the number of filled posts - roles with a person working in them - increased by around 1% (20,000) between April 2022 and March 2023. The previous year, the number of filled posts fell for the first time on record, by around 4% (60,000).
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Date posted: 30/06/2023
A long-awaited report on expanding the NHS workforce predicts that the number of clinicians the government expects to teach through apprenticeships will more than double over the next five years.
The government's aims for the medical profession in England are outlined in the NHS workforce plan, which was just published. Over the next five years, the government will invest £2.4 billion to upskill the national health service.
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Date posted: 30/05/2023
A clear and cohesive strategy, giving team members responsibility, honouring their accomplishments, including the team in decision-making, and asking questions are all essential components of effective management. A manager can build a culture of trust, innovation, and productivity by putting these concepts into practise, which will ultimately result in greater corporate success.
t2 group's leadership and management programmes can help new managers develop, lead, and motivate a high-performing team. For more information visit our Leadership and Management apprenticeships page.
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Date posted: 11/04/2023
From 3 April 2023, small employers who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy will no longer be limited to a maximum of 10 new Apprenticeship starts – they will be able to recruit as many high-quality apprentices as their business needs.
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Date posted: 28/03/2023
Employers want and need management skills. Additionally, we are aware of the crucial role management ability will play in improving public services and productivity in the future.
Our capacity to create organisations and enterprises ready to take on tremendous collective challenges is being harmed by the current resistance to acknowledge contemporary, skilled management as essential to future economic and societal success.
t2 group's leadership and management programmes can help new managers develop, lead, and motivate a high-performing team.
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Date posted: 07/02/2023
The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 is 'Skills for Life'. The week will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with skills for the future.
To find out more about apprenticeships in the health and social care sector – click here.
Date posted: 11/01/2023
A first-of-its-kind Better Hiring Toolkit has been launched, providing an essential guide for care sector employers to make informed, safer recruitment decisions.
The best practice toolkit provides simplified guidance to support employers with both obtaining and providing effective references and conduct information.
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Date posted: 12/12/2022
The Department of Health and Social Care exists to improve the health and wellbeing of people in England.
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Date posted: 28/11/2022
Because of your job title, true leadership does not just magically develop within you.
It can take years to figure out how to be authentic and to develop your own distinctive leadership style. Once you change your perspective and begin adopting a big-picture, long-term perspective on the organisation you will be able to step out of your comfort zone and into the role of company leader.
t2 group’s leadership and management programmes can help you develop your own distinctive leadership style.
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Date posted: 27/10/2022
Nobody foresaw the significant transition to home-based remote work that took place in 2020 with the start of the pandemic.
In a recent study, managers and employees were asked about their experiences leading and being managed remotely to determine what worked and what didn't. The most noteworthy finding was a small but significant change in how employees thought their bosses should interact with them.
t2 group’s leadership and management programmes can help managers develop, lead and motivate a high performing team with social distancing and more remote working becoming the norm.
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Date posted: 30/09/2022
Therese Coffey, the health secretary, revealed her "Plans for Patients" this winter, which include a new staffing strategy and a £500 million donation to the social care fund.
According to Ms. Coffey, her strategy "lays out a range of initiatives to enable the NHS and social care function at their highest levels for their patients."
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Date posted: 18/08/2022
There are so many people in the UK who share something in common, whether they are already employed, looking for their next professional challenge, or looking for their very first job. They lack the time and financial means to invest in their own education and training to broaden their skill set.
More people than ever are impacted by socioeconomic learning hurdles. The cost of life is exorbitant, so for many people, paying the weekly rent or the energy bill comes before self-improvement or empowering themselves via knowledge.
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Date posted: 18/07/2022
For people interested in a profession in care, there are a number of crucial factors to take into account.
This is a field that needs a lot of commitment, compassion, and the ability to put in long hours. People who are successful in this line of work frequently have a strong desire to improve the lives of others. Here are a few of the most crucial considerations for anyone wishing to have a fruitful career in healthcare.
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Date posted: 28/06/2022
The government's Levelling Up agenda aims to address glaring inequities across the country, both in terms of geography and in terms of people's social and economic origins.
With a highly educated, highly trained workforce and well-paying jobs, London and the South-East remain the wealthiest locations in the country, with many other sections of the country falling behind.
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Date posted: 11/05/2022
During the months of May and June, Skills for Care will focus on helping to create happy and healthy workplaces.
Skills for Care will be providing information and ideas over the coming months to assist social care employers, managers, and teams in creating and being a part of a happy and healthy working environment.
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Date posted: 28/04/2022
Employers have been given an extra five days to claim £3,000 in cash incentives for recruiting new apprentices.
Businesses will now have until Friday, May 20 to submit their claims, rather than Sunday, May 15.
The modification was made in response to customer complaints because the deadline fell on a weekend, according to the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
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Date posted: 25/03/2022
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, gave a speech at the conference on Wednesday 23 March 2022.
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Date posted: 04/03/2022
Mandatory Covid vaccinations for health and social care workers in England will be phased out on March 15, according to Sajid Javid, who also announced that personnel will no longer be forced to get vaccinated by law.
The guidelines went into effect for care home employees in November, and they were supposed to go into effect for frontline NHS and social care workers in regulated settings on April 1st.
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Date posted: 24/02/2022
The study was conducted by marketing agency School of Marketing, who used ONS data from the years 2021-2022 to determine the most popular apprenticeships from the previous academic year.
With almost 30,400 new apprentices starting in the area last year, health, public services, and care came in second.
The figure is up significantly from the previous year, with more than 6,000 additional starts in a year's time.
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Date posted: 07/02/2022
National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships.
The week brings together employers and apprentices from throughout the country to highlight the good impact apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses, and the economy as a whole.
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Date posted: 01/02/2022
In England, the government has performed a dramatic U-turn on required vaccinations for health and social care professionals.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed that mandated vaccines for NHS staff will not go ahead and a consultation will be held about scrapping the policy across social care.
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Date posted: 17/01/2022
For the greatest team members and supervisors, the new world of autonomy and accountability is excellent news, but it's a wake-up call for the others.
Managers who operate in a command and control style did not fare well in the epidemic. They discovered that micromanaging individuals is difficult when you can't see or hear them. They had to develop a new set of abilities, including trusting their team members to do the right thing without having to watch their backs all day.
t2 group’s leadership and management programmes can help managers develop these new skills.
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Date posted: 09/12/2021
The government has outlined a ten-year vision for social care to be funded by a 1.25% health and social care levy.
The White Paper lays out how the government plans to invest more than £1 billion over the next three years to improve the lives of those receiving care, as well as their family and caregivers.
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Date posted: 17/11/2021
The government has set out a new plan for reform in adult social care in England. The plan includes a lifetime cap on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care, alongside a more generous means-test for local authority financial support.
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Date posted: 04/11/2021
Stress has both positive and negative aspects. Stress is almost unavoidable in the workplace, and it really serves to promote performance. Employees, on the other hand, may suffer long-term physical and emotional repercussions as a result of persistent high levels of stress.
t2 group’s leadership and management programmes can help leaders play a key role in managing the stress levels of their team. What can leaders be doing to alleviate stress, especially given the increasingly dispersed nature of the workforce?
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Date posted: 01/10/2021
The Government has recently announced that it will now be a requirement for care staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Nearly three-quarters of care home staff approached for new research believe this will exacurbate staffing pressures in care homes.
New data from carehome.co.uk, the leading care home reviews site in the UK, also revealed that London and Northern Ireland have the highest rate of workers in care homes who hadn't received a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Date posted: 13/09/2021
A new government service will assist businesses in establishing more apprenticeship opportunities, allowing more people to obtain the careers they desire.
Large businesses will be able to easily pledge funds to smaller businesses through a new government service, to help create and recruit for more apprenticeship opportunities.
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Date posted: 20/08/2021
The Welsh Government has set aside £411 million for ongoing pandemic costs until April 2022, as well as £140 million for recovery and reducing waiting times.
The Minister said: “The Covid pandemic has had a massive impact on the NHS and social services in Wales and is still facing significant costs in dealing with it. I am therefore pleased to confirm an extra £411m for these costs, including the vaccination programme, testing, PPE, and new cleaning standards for infection control.
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Date posted: 13/08/2021
Skills for Care has unveiled a new three-year strategy to help build the sector's 1.5 million workforce's values and skills, promote reform, and ensure that social care is recognised as a valuable and desirable vocation by the general public.
Skills for Care CEO, Oonagh Smyth, said: “We are delighted to launch our new strategy and excited about the impact it will have on people drawing on care and support and working in social care over the next three years.
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Date posted: 04/08/2021
Apprenticeship numbers reached an all-time high yesterday, boosting Rishi Sunak's Plan for Jobs. There are 18,950 openings for at-work training this summer, which is four times as many as this time last year.
Many bosses have taken advantage of the offer of £3,000 for every trainee they take on — unveiled in the Chancellor's spring Budget.
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Date posted: 02/07/2021
People in care homes or those being cared for at home will benefit from an extra £250 million to continue to protect them from Covid-19, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.
Made up of £142.5 million Infection Control Funding and £108.8 million for testing, the fund will help protect people in adult social care by continuing to meet the cost of rigorous infection prevention and control measures, as restrictions in wider society are eased, and supporting rapid, regular testing of staff to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
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Date posted: 16/06/2021
The Samaritans is extending its helpline for frontline health and care workers in England to provide support during the pandemic.
The charity’s helplines have supported thousands of NHS and social care workers since the start of the COVID crisis last year, and now the Department of Health and Social Care has agreed to extend funding for a dedicated line until at least September 2021.
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Date posted: 01/06/2021
Health and Social Services Minister Eluned Morgan has set out plans for a £100 million investment to kickstart the Welsh health and care system’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Date posted: 24/05/2021
The government has launched gold and silver awards to pay tribute to the outstanding contribution made by staff working in social care in England. Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Professor Deborah Sturdy outlined her commitment to recognise the outstanding contribution made by nurses and care workers in adult social care in England and their enormous range of skills, expertise and compassion.
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Date posted: 14/05/2021
NHS and social care organisations across the UK over the last twelve months have undergone enormous change, mobilising effective workforce innovations and flexibilities at pace, to adapt and respond to unparalleled demand.
Due to the impact of COVID-19 as well as from pre-pandemic operating conditions, staff continue to face ongoing challenges. Skills for Health, the Sector Skills Council for Health have launched, the ‘Developing a Resilient Workforce Survey’ aims to identify the critical development shortages at an individual, organisational and systemic level, to support the UK government, NHS and social care leaders implement measures that will not only protect staff from pressures that pre-date the pandemic but, crucially, address the new challenges they will continue to face as a result of it.
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Date posted: 05/05/2021
How can you tell if someone has great leadership or management skills? Should you look at the training they've received or the activities they perform? While those are the typical ways to assess managers, it's actually a poor approach to assessing management skills.
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Date posted: 21/04/2021
Inclusive team leaders and managers are more likely to incorporate best practices based on the interests of everyone on their team. More and more, diversity in the workplace has been considered to be one of the most crucial essentials to a thriving, dynamic, and productive business.
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Date posted: 15/04/2021
Disabled people are significantly less likely to be employed as managers. According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK, just over half of disabled people (52.1%) aged 16 to 64 years in the UK were employed in 2020. Around 8 in 10 (81.3%) of non-disabled people were employed during the same period.
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Date posted: 13/04/2021
Stepping into a new leadership role can be a huge challenge for anyone, especially in today’s fast-paced business world, where expectations are high and new CEOs and executives are expected to hit the ground running. There are several areas that a new leader can focus on to quickly build authentic relationships, build goodwill and begin to deliver results.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 30/03/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of social care and the need to regard it as part of the national infrastructure. Care England, stands ready to support the Government in developing a new vision for social care, that is properly funded, understood, and respected by everyone.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 23/03/2021
Health Minister Vaughan Gething yesterday published a plan, supported by an initial £50m funding, to help the health and care system in Wales to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Gething said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our health and social care system, patients and staff. As we emerge from the most serious stage of the pandemic, we are now in a position to set out how we can start to recover.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 17/03/2021
Women leaders are hungry for inspiration and want to learn how to navigate the uneven professional playing field. The Female Lead seeks to increase the visibility of women’s success stories in all walks of life and offer girls a wider selection of role models than those represented in popular culture.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 11/03/2021
"The strategy has been developed by the Welsh Government’s contracted Apprenticeship providers and aims to achieve an inclusive Apprenticeship Programme where current under-represented groups have equal opportunities to benefit," said Humie Webb.
Apprenticeships are set to play a vital role in the Welsh Government's Covid-19 economic recovery plan. In the last four years, the Welsh Government has supported more than 100,000 apprenticeship starts in its term of office – 60% were undertaken by females, while 57% were learners aged 25 and over.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 09/03/2021
The proposed increase in incentives to take on apprentices in England and Wales to £3,000, expected in the Budget would be very welcome. These incentives for SME businesses and sole traders to invest in a new generation of skilled workers are critical if the UK has the best possible chance to bounce back from the overwhelming impacts of COVID.
An injection of a further £126million in skills by the Chancellor would provide opportunities to breathe new life into our economy.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 04/03/2021
As a result of COVID-19 the NHS has seen a 'huge increase in numbers' applying to both jobs and to training opportunities. Adult social care employs around 1.5 million people in England. The Health Foundation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies project that 458,000 additional full-time equivalent social care staff will be needed in England by 2033/34 to meet the expected growth in demand.
People previously in customer facing roles could be valuable assets to the sector. Anita Charlesworth, director of research and REAL centre at The Health Foundation, told MPs 'Social care needs people with those skills, but we need to train them. At the moment only 50% of our workforce has a relevant care qualification,' she said. 'So, we do need to invest in training and we need to make sure that social care is not a temporary job…'
Read the full article hereDate posted: 02/03/2021
Unemployment is at its highest level in almost five years, with younger and typically lower-paid workers bearing the brunt of job losses. Mr Sunak said it was "vital" support continued to get people back into work.
The chancellor's boost to existing Apprenticeship and traineeship programmes will include playing up to double the current cash incentive to firms who take on an apprentice, regardless of age. Currently, firms in England are given £2,000 for every new Apprentice they take on under the age of 25, and £1,500 for those over 25, in addition to a £1,000 grant they are already getting under another project.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 24/02/2021
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that care home residents will be allowed to have one indoor visitor from the 8th of March. The scheme will allow a single visitor to hold hands with their relative/friend in the care home and make repeat visits.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 18/02/2021
Good managers are essential to the success of any business or organisation, and management apprenticeships have become popular since the government reformed workplace training funding in 2015 by making employers with annual payrolls greater than £3m set aside an equivalent to 0.5% as an apprenticeship levy. However, as the UK government starts to plan the country’s economic recovery, the CMI analysis estimates that even pre-Pandemic there were a staggering 1.3 million employers who were not offering any apprenticeships.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 16/02/2021
The Health and Social Care Secretary, with the support of NHS England and health and care system leaders, has outlined new proposals to build on the successful NHS response to the pandemic. The proposals will bring health and care services closer together to build back better by improving care and tackling health inequalities through measures to address obesity, oral health and patient choice.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 10/02/2021
The theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Build the Future.’ While the aim is rightly to promote the benefits and long-term gains of employing young people into a variety of apprenticeships to ‘Build the Future’, it is also true that existing managers are building the future, and must continue to do so, however uncertain that future might appear right now.
If you’re part of a management team within an organisation, you’ll be responsible for building a team that can help the business meet its strategic objectives.
You’ll want to hire the right talent and particularly you’ll want to develop your existing team members to bring specific skills to bear on those objectives. Those at senior levels of an organisation have a huge amount of input and responsibility when it comes to ‘building the future’ of the organisation.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 28/01/2021
When the COVID-19 tide finally turns, what will it reveal? One thing is for certain the demand for care and a workforce to satisfy it will remain. In October last year, Skills for Care estimated that over half-a-million additional care workers will be needed in England by 2035 to meet demand. Whilst the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the essential contribution made by paid carers, it also demonstrated how physically and emotionally demanding the job can be. As the dust settles, this may cause some to exit and deter others from entering the profession.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 04/11/2020
To get more people into work the Government are now offering employers of all sizes generous cash incentives to employ new Apprentices and to help people get back into employment. These new cash incentives are key for the economy to recover after COVID-19.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, employers are being offered £2,000 for each new Apprentice they hire aged under 25, and £1,500 for each newly recruited apprentice aged 25 and over. This includes taking on an apprentice who has been made redundant.
To find out more information on the cash incentives on offer you can visit the GOV.UK website.
Read the full article hereDate posted: 08/07/2020
The chancellor is set to announce a sliding scale of cash incentives for employers to take on both young and adult apprentices in his summer statement today, FE Week understands.
Firms are expected to receive more for taking on under 25s. Rishi Sunak is due to provide the details this afternoon as he unveils his plan to tackle the anticipated largescale unemployment caused by Covid-19.
Under current Education and Skills Funding Agency rules, employers and providers already receive a £1,000 incentive each for taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18.
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