Home Instead, which employs 10,000 care professionals and cares for 16,000 people in the UK, is using the funds provided by The Access Group to give staff free on-the-job training.
The apprenticeship curriculum ranges from Level 2 foundational skills for workers providing frontline care to bespoke Level 5 leadership to help staff manage teams, financial services and organisational changes.
Launched with the support of Impact Futures, the UK’s leading apprenticeship training provider, the scheme creates a clear progression for Home Instead’s staff to up-skill and advance their career in care.
Trish John, learning and development partner at Home Instead, said: “These apprenticeships are opening up career opportunities by creating several different pathways of learning for 80 individuals across a range of levels.
“Access Group’s support has enabled us to significantly enhance our apprenticeship offering, which has also supported professional development of our teams and helped us to demonstrate a shared commitment to investing in the growth and expertise of our network.”
The funding has been provided using the government’s levy transfer funding scheme that allows businesses to transfer up to 25% of their legally mandated apprentice levy funds to another business or charity.
The Access Group has supported care providers through the levy transfer for a number of years, but this is the single largest commitment.
Steve Sawyer, managing director at Access Health, Support and Care, added: “Given the enduring skills shortage and growing number of vacancies in the sector, it is critical to retain and support staff across all levels of care and grow the talent pipeline.
“We’re delighted to be able to play a small part in helping tackle this issue and build on a decade-long working partnership with Home Instead.”
The scheme is being managed by Home Instead’s Apprenticeship Academy, which was launched in March 2023 in partnership with Impact Futures.