A campaign has been launched today (9th September) to encourage more young people to join the care workforce in Wales.
Only around 11% of the social care workforce in Wales is under 25, while 32% are over 50, according to Social Care Wales.
To highlight the variety of care jobs available locally to young people, national recruitment campaign, We Care Wales, is launching a week of activity from today (9 September).
Called We Care Wales Week, it will shine a light on what working in social care and childcare is really like. Young people will share their experiences of working in different roles in social care, early years and childcare.
Sue Evans, chief executive of Social Care Wales, said: “It’s vital that more young people take up care as a career to help future-proof the workforce, as a large proportion of current employees are nearing retirement age.
“The Welsh Government’s roll-out of 30 hours’ free childcare for working parents and support for unemployed parents who want to train and gain skills means early years and childcare providers are also likely to need more workers to meet a growth in demand.
“We know from our own research that young people often see working in care as hard work. However, as more of them are living at home with their parents for longer, driving less and looking for jobs with a purpose, a local job that can make a difference could be perfect for them”.
The WeCare Wales campaign challenges people’s perceptions of working in care. While it can be demanding, for the right people it can be a purposeful career, available locally, with the flexibility to gain skills and qualifications while working.
If you think you have what it takes and are interested in a career working with adults, young people and children, visit WeCare.wales. You can search job roles, hear employee stories and find information on local employers in your area.
To join in the conversation on social media, use the hashtag #WeCareWeek
Photo: Youth support worker Alaw Paul (age 21), left, with service users
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