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Here at Sentinel Care Services we pride ourselves on giving our new starters every opportunity to make a successful career in the care industry.
Our comprehensive Footsteps apprenticeship programme is designed to give new carers the best possible training and earn the relevant qualifications along the way. It also ensures the highest possible quality of care for our clients.
The scheme gives new carers that all-important first foot on the ladder of their chosen career in care.
One of our new apprentices is Francesca Broom, 19. She worked as a waitress for nearly two years before deciding she wanted to do something more rewarding.
Francesca Broom
“I had been considering going into care for a time, I wanted something where I could progress and have a proper career,” she says. “I opted for Sentinel because they do an apprenticeship scheme – not many companies do that.
“I am thinking long-term prospects and this apprenticeship scheme gives me the opportunity to get my qualifications.
“The job is fun, I always go home at the end of the day feeling good about what I have done and that I have been able to help people along the way.”
Another Sentinel apprentice is Shannon Lapacinskas, 17, from Shrewsbury, who says she was keen for a career in care after helping her mother look after her nan who had terminal cancer.
“That gave me an insight into what care was all about” she says. “I love talking and helping people and the apprenticeship scheme at Sentinel will give me the right grounding and support to succeed in the industry and let me get fully qualified along the way.”
Shannon Lapacinskas
Steve Harris, managing director here at Sentinel, says the Footsteps programme is proving hugely successful with new starters.
“People who come to us with no experience in the care industry have the opportunity to take advantage of the Footsteps scheme where we take on apprentices and pay them a full wage, the same as every other carer, not an apprentice wage,” he says.
“We encourage all of our staff to go for the NVQ Level 2 in care and once they have completed that they can do Level 3 if they like. And if people want further training or attend any courses and it’s suitable to their role then they can request it.
“The Footsteps programme for new starters consists of weekly calls to see how they are getting on and to keep in regular contact with new staff to ensure they are comfortable in the role and happy with the job.
“It includes on-the-job visits where a member of staff will meet the apprentice out in the field to ensure they are happy and fully aware of their role. There are also meetings with a care co-ordinator and care manager after three to four weeks to make sure they are getting on ok and are happy with the hours and rota.
“After three months there is a probation review where performance, more training, the possibility of doing an NVQ, the career path, whether they would like to be considered for promotion are discussed and some goals are set.
“It’s a fantastic scheme which we hope will help lots of carers establish themselves for a career for life.”
