A new online training programme for anyone interested in a career in social care is being rolled out by Social Care Wales following the success of a pilot programme, which was trialled in four Welsh counties last year.

The three-day “Introduction to Social Care” programme will give anyone in Wales, who’s interested in working in social care, an overview of what working in the sector is like and help them decide if a career in care may be right for them.

The course will look at what social care is and the different roles available in the sector, along with an introduction to relevant topics such as safeguarding, health and safety, the use of PPE, the importance of language choice and communicating with people who use care and support.

At the end of the three days, anyone who successfully completes the programme will receive an Introduction to Social Care certificate, which they can show to prospective employers, along with another certificate if they complete level one safeguarding training.

The programme aims to support staff retention in social care by giving people interested in working in the sector an idea of the work they would be doing before they start a new role.

It also aims to challenge misunderstanding about social care and help people find out what it really means to work in the sector.

An additional programme will be available for young people aged between 15 and 19 years old. Young people can contact their local careers advisor for more details.

Amanda Cook, who took part in the pilot programme last year, praised the programme, describing her experience as “absolutely brilliant”, adding “the trainers were fantastic, too”.

Cook said: “I learned so much about the social care sector, the different roles available, practical skills and knowledge of the legislation. It’s really inspired me and helped me secure an offer of employment already.”

Sue Evans, Chief Executive at Social Care Wales, said: “With this ‘Introduction to Social Care’ programme, we want to show people that a career in social care could be perfect for them.

“There’s truly outstanding work happening in social care every day, supporting people who rely on good care and support. We already have tens of thousands of committed and hard-working people working in the sector, and we want to help more people find out if it could be the right career choice for them, too.

“Working in social care be an extremely rewarding career choice for people who want to make a positive difference to people’s lives. There are so many different types of roles in social care, we hope this introduction programme will help anyone interested in joining the sector to find the right role for them.”

The national training programme kicks off with five sets of training in January and February. The first two sets, which take place in January are already full, but there are still spaces available in February and March.