Free training to upskill health and social care sector

More than 2,600 health and social care workers in Greater Manchester (@greatermcr) will benefit from new training to identify opportunities for progression and to improve skills, which will lead to increased capacity across teams.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority awarded Acorn Training with a £3m contract to deliver the crucial training as part of its three-year Skills for Growth programme, funded through European Social Funding.

The training will deliver support across four key themes including; technical training for support staff, developing leadership and management skills, recruiting more practice assessors and higher level apprenticeships.

Councillor Andrew Western, Greater Manchester’s lead for Digital, Work and Skills said:

“Investing in skills development and training in our workforce helps ensure staff are properly supported and employers have the staff they need. That is why today’s announcement is an exciting development for our vital health and social care sector.

“Following engagement with the wider health and social care industry, the prospect of increased retirements in the coming years has led to concerns of skills gaps in the workforce.

“By bringing Acorn Training on board, we want to prepare the existing workforce for change and give them the learning they need to move up the career ladder, helping them to reach their ambitions and achieve their goals.

Acorn Training will work in partnership with seven other providers across Greater Manchester to deliver the programme including Growth Company, Abuka, Rochdale Training, Training Works 4 U, Ashley Hunter and Access Skills.

Gareth Saldanha-Fallows, Managing Director at Acorn Training, said:

“Ensuring residents and patients have access to high-quality care is a key priority for Acorn Training. We ensure that any skills gaps or opportunities for development are identified and filled to keep a constant loop of robust knowledge within these important professions within the Heath & Social Care sector.

“Our learners are at the heart of everything that we do, and our talented team of trainer assessors and tutors ensure that learners are well-equipped with the skills and knowledge that they need to aspire, make good choices and succeed in their career. Our courses have been shaped using intelligence received from employers across the city-region, which means that employees will feel valued and empowered to learn knowing that their organisations are behind the programme.”

Skills for Growth is funded by the European Social Fund and is dedicated to plugging the skills gap in Greater Manchester after businesses continually explained that they couldn’t find the technical skills they needed to grow their business.