A new partnership initiative has been launched to help people in Carmarthenshire to pursue a career in the care sector.

Carmarthenshire Communities for Work+ has been working with a number of partners, training providers and employers to create a pathway into care.

The aim is to raise awareness on the range of jobs that are available throughout the sector and to support individuals who are not in education, employment or training to get a foot in the door by providing them with the knowledge and skills required.

A special four-week course was designed following feedback from various employers on the skills beneficial to working within the sector, delivered by Coleg Sir Gâr. It included first aid, customer service, autism and dementia awareness training, confidentiality/GDPR and digital literacy.

World of work visits were arranged to employers including Llesiant Delta Wellbeing and Perthyn, as well as talks from We Care Wales and PLANED.

Participants also received guidance and support with writing job applications and CVs, interview techniques and confidence building.

A celebration event was held at Llanelli Town Hall the end of the course to congratulate the participants on successful completion. They will be continued to be supported by Communities for Work+ as they seek employment.

Ryan Harries, aged 21, from Pembrey, would like to pursue a career as a support worker in the community, he said: “The course was really good, it was eye-opening, there was so much I didn’t know about care, how many roles there were, just the whole thing was so new to me, and I really enjoyed every bit of it.”

Communities for Work+ is a Welsh Government funded project delivered by Carmarthenshire County Council which provides specialist advisory support, guidance and training to help break down any barriers to employment that people and communities may face.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Social Services Cllr Jane Tremlett said: “This is an excellent initiative to support people in our communities looking for a career in social care by providing them with an insight into the various roles that are available as well as the skills and attributes required.

“As a council, we have a number of exciting projects underway to support people who want to pursue a career in the care sector, including our Care Academi which is giving candidates the opportunity to work and study for the qualifications they need to become our social workers of the future.”

Delta Wellbeing is a Local Authority Trading Company which provides assistive technology and proactive monitoring and support to help older and vulnerable people to live independently in their homes for as long as possible.

Head of Operations Rebecca Davies said: “We were delighted to be involved in this initiative to raise awareness of the various job opportunities that are available throughout the care industry, and in particular, the range of jobs we provide which are perhaps the less traditional types of roles associated with a career in care.

“This includes our response officers who are dispatched to assist in an emergency, our TEC installation team who will visit homes to install lifelines and other equipment, our wellbeing officers who are based at the hospitals, and our monitoring centre advisers who respond to emergency calls 24/7 365 days of the year, and more.

“We were delighted to host a workplace visit for the participants to gain a valuable insight into what we do, and to see first hand how rewarding a career in care can be. We would like to wish them all the best of luck for the future whatever path they choose.”

Karen Thomas, a tutor with the Multiply project as part of the Care 24 course said: “Coleg Sir Gar were delighted to have been able to collaborate with Communities for Work+. We wish Tanya, Ryan and Danielle all the best in seeking employment, and we look forward to supporting more learners into employment next month.”