Care group partners with schools to 'grow next generation of care workers'

A West Yorkshire care group has formed partnerships with five schools throughout the Bradford area, hosting talks with hundreds of pupils about the care industry and the career opportunities on offer within the sector.

Czajka Care Group, which operates five nursing and care homes, started working with Bradford Pathways in 2014 and regularly hosts events and attends careers exhibitions at schools across Bradford to tackle the shortage of new workers entering the industry.

Since the introduction of the initiative, Czajka Care Group has recruited a number of school leavers into its 350-strong team.

John Carrington from Czajka Care Group said: “We’re keen to help find and grow the next generation of care workers and this initiative gives us the chance to talk to young people about the industry and all that it has to offer. It’s also a great way of helping young people to understand more about care homes and the plethora of roles within the industry.

“Our talks and programmes are always very well received by the school pupils and it’s also been hugely successful in attracting people to join us either straight from school or further down the line.

“All our new recruits benefit from an exceptional standard of tuition at our in-house training centre, and there are lots of progression and training opportunities across all areas of the care industry, which makes it a very rewarding sector to work in.”

Bradford Pathways aims to support young people and adults into a wide range of skilled careers in sectors that are important in Bradford and the surrounding economies.

It combines academic, employability, leadership and technical skills and allows participants to explore different career pathways designed around high-demand sectors and occupations.

In April 2011, Czajka Care Group opened a training centre in Saltaire to service their own training requirements. All new staff complete a four day induction, which ensures mandatory and essential training is provided before staff begin working in the care homes or community teams. They use smart board technology to deliver the training, as well as practical 'hands on' sessions with equipment to ensure that all staff are competent.

For those working in the community teams, Czajka have a community personnel advisor who supports new staff through their induction and probationary period, arranging 'shadowing' with experienced staff to ensure they feel confident and capable before starting to work on their own.

Established in 1983, Czajka Care Group is a family-run business offering quality care for over 250 older people and those living with a disability.

The care group owns and operates Fairmount Nursing Home, Brookfield Care Home, Staveley Birk Leas Nursing Home, Currergate Nursing Home and Beanlands Nursing Home. Czajka also offers a range of purpose-built retirement homes and operates The Clubhouse at Fairmount Park, which is a members only club with a wide range of leisure facilities.

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