Skills for Care launch campaign to promote benefits of training for care staff

Following on from their successful campaign last year that promoted digital understanding, Skills for Care are running another campaign throughout January and February to encourage and inspire health and social care staff to embrace training and development opportunities. 

The campaign – known as ‘Keep Learning for Success’ follows on from the success of the same campaign undertaken by Skills for Care throughout first months of 2023, and once again is set to promote the benefited of learning and development for care home staff at all levels. 

Not only this, but the campaign seeks to raise awareness on the of benefits learning and development as well as promote the opportunities available for ongoing learning throughout all levels of a care home setting.  

Skills for Care say that learning and development is key for the success of a care organisation; staff at all levels, whether they are care workers, managers or leaders, should have the opportunity to access and make use of learning and development tools because this is one of the most significant means of ensuring that the highest standards of quality in social care are met and maintained across the sector. 

Not only does it ensure that staff are always at the forefront of caregiving best practice, as well as ensuring a clear pathway of progression within care as a long-term career, but it helps with compliance with regulatory requirements, such as the CQC’s Standard for being well-led, which requires care settings to ‘encourage learning and innovation.’ 

The data from Skills for Care shows that investing in care home staff training can support with keeping care workers in their position in the face of other challenges facing the sector. 

The real-world impact of learning and development 

According to the data, there was a 31.6% turnover rate for those care home staff who had training recorded, which compares to a 40.6% turnover rate for those who did not have training recorded.  

Care workers with social care qualifications were also less likely to leave their roles, with a 37% turnover rate for those with no relevant qualifications compared to a 26.5% turnover rate for those who did have qualifications.  

Not only does this data suggest that ensuring care staff have access to relevant learning and development, as well as the means of progressing through their careers through relevant qualifications, can decrease turnover by nearly 10%, but it also reinforces the fact that care settings need to provide a means of long term progression for staff: to make care a more viable and attractive long term career.  

What opportunities are available? 

The #KeepLearning activity will run across Skill for Care’s website, social media and other channels of communication, and will cover what learning and development opportunities there are available in 2024.  

General topics and areas will include training, continued professional development, events, the benefits of learning and development for care home staff and people drawing on care and support, the importance of learning and development for new, aspiring or experienced managers and many more.  

Oonagh Smyth, CEO of Skills for Care, said: “Ongoing learning and development is absolutely vital for staff at all levels – from people who are brand new to care to experienced senior managers. 

“There are so many benefits of a strong learning culture for organisations and individuals. Crucially ongoing learning and development supports the best quality of care for people who draw on support. 

“The sector is currently facing major retention challenges and so the positive impact which learning and development has on staff retention must be utilised. 

“We’re excited to again start the new year with our #KeepLearning campaign, highlighting the many learning and development opportunities available for social care workers in 2024.” 

Learn, develop and progress through your career with Person Centred Software 

At Person Centred Software, one of our core goals is to provide software for every area of care home management, whether it’s care planning, medication management, wellness and activities or care home operations, that improves the quality of life for care staff and residents by harnessing the latest technological advances to make the provision of care more efficient, more effective and more positively impactful.  

We want to be a provider for the long term – a true guiding hand for care settings - and assist care homes on their journey through the provision of care through digital technology, and that makes providing the means for staff to develop their skillset and progress in their careers. 

This is why we have developed PCS LEARN to give care staff all the tools they need to upskill their efforts and progress in their careers.  

PCS LEARN offers whole home training courses that provide comprehensive training on areas such as wellness, exercise, leadership and creativity. Designed for all areas of care home staffing, and also offering induction courses on how to use the products of our Connected Care Platform, PCS LEARN is a true hub of knowledge for progression and learning for all care workers, and a transformative tool for those working in care to ensure long-term progression in their careers.