Posted on Friday 31st January 2025
Social Care Academy Partners
A new platform to help care workers to access high quality training 24/7 has been launched.
The Social Care Academy for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent platform brings together the very best of ‘learn-at-your-own-pace' adult care training so that care workers and those interested in the sector can find out more and develop their skills and career.
National adult social care organisation Skills for Care, registered charity and workforce development body for adult social care, is pooling its courses with Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board to support careers and raise care standards.
Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Health and Care Jeremy Pert said:
“Investing in our social care workforce is one of our area’s key priorities. The new Academy platform means that everyone working in care, whatever role they have, can take their career as far as they want to go and provide the best possible care to our area’s most vulnerable residents.
“The Academy is not just about ease of access to quality, free or low-cost courses for our care workforce. This is about providing everyone working in the sector a very practical way to learn and sends a very strong signal that that working in the care sector is a very diverse and supported, professional career.”
The Social Care Academy for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent aims to capitalise on good collaboration already happening locally.
Duncan Walker, Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Cabinet member for Adult Services said:
“We’re proud to be working with our public sector partners to bring
together quality training opportunities into one convenient online location, as well as a number of opportunities being offline.
“These courses are top quality and have been developed by care workers for care workers. It will make a huge difference to the independent care sector across the city.”
Shirley Way, Head of Area for the Midlands at Skills for Care, said:
“This Academy is a very important pilot as part of the national Workforce Strategy; the first strategy of its kind developed by the care sector for the sector; and is an essential part of making sure that enough of the right people with the right skills are able to provide the best possible care.
“We’re delighted to be working with colleagues across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.”
Mish Irvine, Chief People Officer for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board, said:
“As a partnership we’ve listened to what our current and potential workforce want, and that means to take their career in care wherever they want to go. We’ve now got that in the Academy, and we're delighted to see how it progresses over the next twelve months of the pilot.”
People can find out more on The Social Care Academy for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent website.