Barchester committed to future of apprenticeships in care sector

Despite Monday’s weather chaos, Barchester was well represented at the launch of the implementation plan for the future of Apprenticeships in England where Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled a new generation of apprenticeships created to decrease youth unemployment and boost vocational training.

Mr Cameron talked about the value of apprentices to more than 700 people and more than 60 companies have already signed up to be a “trailblazers” for the new-style apprenticeships. He used the occasion to emphasise how important it is to continue to recruit apprenticeships for the future and every apprentice, whether a carer or a mechanic, was thanked for their own personal efforts.

Tony Andrews, General Manager at Barchester's Middletown Grange care home, in Oxford, along with Jessica Bowell, Apprentice Carer, and Lance Herbert, Regional Operations Manager attended the launch at the BMW Mini Plant in Oxford. Barchester is committed to the reform of Apprenticeships in the care sector in England.

Tony Andrews said: “The general feeling was that apprentices are definitely the way forward, especially those that are school-leaving age. Joining an organisation like Barchester offers young apprentices great additional learning opportunities to develop and carve out a career in the care industry.”

Jessica, 17, said: "I had a few jobs before joining Barchester. I really enjoy this job as I can see how I can make a difference to residents' wellbeing. I've grown up with a family member who has a disability and have found that this has provided an insight into interacting with individuals with different levels of care needs . I have matured as a result of this and I hope my apprenticeship will enable me to develop my new career further and gain new skills too."

Paul Middleton, Head of Vocational Qualifications at Barchester added: “It was great that Tony, Jessica and Lance were able to attend and showcase our award-winning Apprenticeship programme, which is part of Barchester's in-house Business School that's committed to learning and development."