Anita Goyal MBE: Who Cares Wins! Young people and care career opportunities

Anita Goyal MBE writes about a vital topic in advance of the third national conference and exhibition on 3rd March                     

Hundreds of young people from across the country will be heading to London’s Oval cricket ground this spring for the biggest care careers conference and exhibition, organised by Championing Social Care.

The whole day Who Cares Wins! event aims to encourage students to explore work and careers in care, highlighting the growing range of opportunities and roles.

Social care is vital to everyone – all of us will need care or become caregivers ourselves at some point in our lives. The demand for care is only set to grow. With the increasing needs of older and disabled adults, it’s predicted that in the next decade there will be at least half a million new jobs in this rapidly expanding sector. And it’s not just frontline care – there are roles across hospitality, technology, finance, HR, PR, and many more. That’s why this event is so important – it marks the start of real change.

Recent King’s Fund research on recruiting and retaining young people in the care workforce highlighted massive challenges for all of us.

The conclusions of ‘Changemakers or Troublemakers?’ include the lack of support for young people entering the care workforce, the demands of the work for which young people may not be prepared, employers not wanting to recruit young people and not recognising their skills.

According to the Social Care Foundation’s report, Who Cares – Solutions for the Social Care Review, the UK population aged over 65 stood at 13 million in 2025. By 2040, that figure will rise to nearly 17 million. Even as we succeed in helping people live healthier, more independent lives for longer, it is simply unrealistic to believe that the demand for care will reduce. We will need more care professionals, not fewer.

The current care workforce is already under strain. It is largely older, predominantly female, and many work part-time – realities that must be acknowledged and planned for if we are serious about growing the workforce sustainably.

This places the sector in a fragile position today, and without urgent, joined-up action, that fragility will deepen. Continued restrictions on immigration risk compounding an already critical challenge, at a time when the need for care has never been greater.

These are big challenges. But they are not insurmountable. Indeed, we must meet them if we are to continue to grow and develop the care sector.

That’s why Championing Social Care is hosting the third national care careers conference and exhibition for school and college students. The event will take place on Tuesday 3 March during National Careers Week at the prestigious Oval cricket ground.

Building on the success of the first two national conferences, ‘Who Cares Wins!’ aims to encourage students from years 9-13 to explore the wide variety of career options in the care sector. From frontline caring to using technology, hospitality to management, finance to marketing and much more.

I often say to young people that if you’re looking for a job with long-term prospects then the care sector has it. We need at least an additional half a million care workers over the next decade to meet the growing demands for care from our ageing population.

Young people entering the workforce can expect to progress quickly up the career ladder if the work is right for them. They can take on extra responsibility swiftly and undertake demanding and meaningful jobs.

Clearly we need to raise awareness about these opportunities among students, their teachers and careers advisers. But there are several other things our conference and exhibition aim to do.

As a former teacher, I am often surprised by the lack of contact between schools and colleges on the one hand and care providers on the other, even though they may be close neighbours in their local community. Fortunately, we are beginning to see some excellent local initiatives bringing young people together with care businesses and training providers. What is especially encouraging is hearing young people share their experiences at the conference, notably Angel, who spoke with honesty and impact.

“Attending the Who Cares Wins conference last year changed everything for me. Hearing others speak about social care and mental health made me realise just how passionate I am about making a difference- especially as both my parents live with mental illness. I shared my dream of becoming the CEO of a mental health organisation one day… and to my surprise, I was offered a support worker role and a mentor on the spot. I’m now proud to be working at Serenity Care UK with CEO Cllr Fatima Zaman – taking my first steps into the sector I care so deeply about. This is just the beginning!”

Linking schools and colleges with care providers has a number of benefits – increased understanding between generations and about what happens in care settings, the importance of care work for all of us at some point in our lives, tackling ageism and loneliness, as well as opening up work experience and volunteering opportunities.

Care providers could be more proactive in reaching out to schools and opening their doors – as indeed many will do during Care Home Open Week in June. Care homes are a key part of most local communities but often they are out of sight, particularly for young people.

Changing the culture and leadership of the care workforce is crucial to welcome young people into the sector and make them feel valued, understood and supported. We must do more to showcase young people already pursuing successful careers in care – they are the best advocates for working in the sector.

Government needs to step up its recruitment campaigns and to target young people more explicitly, just as campaigns for teaching, nursing and the armed forces have helped change their image as sectors to work.

The government also faces the challenge of resourcing the care sector properly so that pay and training are improved significantly and career development is well rewarded, as part of tackling workforce issues strategically. We hope the Casey Commission will take up the Social Care Foundation’s recent workforce proposals when it publishes its recommendations.

Who Cares Wins! on 3 March will be another step on the way to making care an attractive career for people of all ages and particularly young people looking for jobs that make a real impact in our society. Who Cares Wins! aims to empower, inspire and inform young people about what a career in social care really looks like. We need people who are passionate, dedicated and caring and want to make a real difference. Young people who care will win!

·       Support the Who Care Wins! event as a sponsor or exhibitor by contacting Ed Maxfield at edward@championingsocialcare.org.uk and encourage your local school/college to attend with students. Find out more about ‘Who Cares Wins!’ and watch the highlights video from the last event: Who Cares Wins • Championing Social Care

·       Who Cares Wins! has been made possible by support from a range of charitable foundations, care and tech providers, training and young people’s organisations and many other organisations exhibiting at the event.

·       Guest speakers include:

–        Conference MC, Bailey-Stephen Greetham-Clark, who leads Be Great Fitness

–        Jermaine Harris, one of the country’s leading motivational presenters

–        Avnish Goyal CBE, chairman of Hallmark Luxury Care Homes, on entrepreneurship

–        Young people already working in a variety of roles in the care sector

–        Breakout sessions focusing on practical skills re recruitment and CVs, dementia care and technology

–        Anita Goyal MBE, chair of the Goyal Foundation, trustee of the Hallmark Foundation, and Championing Social Care board member