A 22 year old woman has escaped the despair of the dole queue and landed her “dream job” with a care organisation.
Shereen Rogers’s success is down to a Welsh Government-funded employment scheme – and the advice of her much loved grandmother who sadly died last year.
The Steps To Employment initiative is operated by Smartcare Training, which is part of the Pendine Park care organistion.
All those who complete the 26-week scheme receive a City and Guilds qualification and are automatically offered a job.
Shereen, from Rhos, was thrilled when she was also offered a job at Pendine Park’s Highfield care home as a Student Care Practitioner.
Working in social care was not something Shereen had envisaged originally.
The former Ysgol y Grango pupil studied animal care for three years at Llysfasi College but couldn’t get a job after she left.
Shereen asked her late grandmother, Mrs Pamela Jones, for advice after hearing about the employment scheme during a visit to the Job Centre.
She said: “Nana was carer and then she became a nurse – when she was still with us she said I should just have a go and try it.
“I actually shocked myself because I didn’t think I’d get on so really well. I think I’ve grown really well working here – I haven’t looked back.
“I love working here, it’s like having extra family members with all the residents.
“What was a really negative situation has turned into something positive. This is my dream job.
“There are a lot of different opportunities and I’m studying for a Diploma.”
Anita Curley, Head of Workforce Development at Pendine Park, was delighted that Shereen had grasped her opportunity with such enthusiasm.
She explained: “The Job Centre refers people to us who are interested in a career in health and social care and we give them an interview.
“They start by completing all the necessary skills to allow them to work with us, for example, infection control, moving and handling, food hygeine and first aid.
“They are then given the opportunity of seeing the different homes we have, meeting the managers and working hands on as much as possible to give them a really thorough insight into a career in care with us.
“They have a mentor on the scheme and we guarantee them an interview at the end of their time with us. Obviously we cannot guarantee a job but up to now, everyone who has finished the course to date have all been employed at the end of it.
“They still have all the skills and experience and all the mandatory training they need to go out and look for other jobs in the care home sector.
“As a company, we have long established links with the further education sector and we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work with Glyndwr Universityl.
“For anyone who is considering working in care, it can be a very useful way of kick starting your career.
“It is the first step on the employment ladder, providing stable employment and a career pathway that can lead to a well paid and responsible job in senior management with a salary in the range of ££30,000 to £40,000 a year.
“One of the girls who is on the current placement told me the other day how much she was enjoying it and how care was something she should have done years ago but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.
“It works very well for us too because we are then able to take on people who we know well, who have been trained to our high standards and are trustworthy and reliable which in the care sector is very valuable.”
