Scottish colleges provide 1800 places for course to help boost number of carers

Scotland’s colleges are hoping a new online course will help boost the number of people working in the social care sector.

There will be 1800 funded spaces for the new Introduction to a Career in Social Care online course, which is designed to bring more trained people into the area of work at a time when the country faces a serious skills gap.

The places are available to students across Scotland’s colleges and, with more than one third of social care services having struggled with unfilled jobs in the past year, it is hoped the collaboration between the College Development Network (CDN), the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and local employers will reverse the trend.

Jim Metcalfe, chief executive of the CDN, said: “It is clear that demand for trained carers is outstripping supply and this is leading the care sector to crisis point in Scotland.

“We are aware of the growing demand for short, focused training courses that are specific to economic sectors and that help people secure employment opportunities.

“This course is absolutely an example of that and of Scotland’s college sector meeting the needs of the job market and society at large.”

The course, which has funding from the National Transition Training Fund from the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, will see students study part-time for six weeks with support from a dedicated tutor.

Amanda MacDonald, a student at West College Scotland, said the course gave her a good insight into the sector.

“I’d applied for a few care jobs, but the answer was always the same, that I needed some experience,” she said.

“I was a little apprehensive about starting (the course), but knew I had to do it if I wanted to get anywhere.

“I’ve learned a lot and really enjoyed the case studies. It’s given me a really good insight into what a job in care will actually be like and given me the skills to do it.”

According to the SSSC, ongoing staffing issues are the result of too few applicants with qualifications or experience.