Care Sector: Apprenticeships

Baroness Bakewell Excerpts

Monday 6th July 2015 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Bakewell]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report The UK Nursing Workforce: Crisis or Opportunity published by consultants Christie + Co on 3 June, which highlighted a serious staff shortage in care homes, what proportion of new apprenticeships will be in the care sector.

[The Earl of Courtown (Con)]

My Lords, apprenticeships are paid jobs with quality training. Officials in BIS and the Department of Health are discussing what can be done to offer more opportunities as part of the commitment to 3 million apprenticeship starts in this Parliament. Our priority is to work with employers to increase the number of apprenticeships. We are developing a comprehensive plan for growth, including a renewed emphasis on communications and a greater role for the public sector.

[Baroness Bakewell (Lab)]

I thank the noble Earl for that Answer. I was specifically concerned about the great shortage of nurses, who are needed in this country. The burden of the need for nurses falls particularly heavily on care homes. On Wednesday, the National Care Forum will publish a survey showing that in the care workforce, only 12% are under 25 years old and 50% are over 45 years old. Recruitment is difficult because there is no clear career pathway—it is seen as a low-wage, high-turnover job. So can the Government offer young people a lifetime career in caring, with training and promotion prospects from care assistants into nursing professionals?

[The Earl of Courtown]

My Lords, the noble Baroness asked a number of questions. She asked about a career pathway for young people going into the sector. If we look at the apprenticeship starts by sector, and particularly at the Trailblazer system of industry-designed apprenticeships for getting people into them, there is one for nursing, another for adult care, another for healthcare and another for early years. There have also been in excess of 250,000 new apprenticeship starts in the care sector between 2010-11 and 2013-14. Apprenticeships are one route for those who want to progress into a satisfying career within the care sector.