The Good Care Group leads the way in graduate recruitment

A story in The Guardian has revealed that social care employers in the social care sector are starting to see the benefits of employing graduates. Although social care providers haven’t traditionally recruited graduates, a number of firms, including The Good Care Group, are reaping the benefits of graduate talent.

A story in The Guardian has revealed that social care employers in the social care sector are starting to see the benefits of employing graduates. Although social care providers haven’t traditionally recruited graduates, a number of firms, including The Good Care Group, are reaping the benefits of graduate talent.

The Guardian reports that organisations in the growing social care sector are operating in “an increasingly business-like environment that requires people with strong management skills, who can understand budgets and the requirements of regulator the Care Quality Commission.” 

Leslie Weare, director of health and care at recruitment agency Reed, said she had seen more well-qualified graduates taking on roles previously undertaken by non-graduates, but despite the increase, few social care organisations run graduate schemes.

The Good Care Group is one of only a handful of employers taking part in the Skills for Care graduate management training scheme, which offers the opportunity for 20 graduates a year to fast-track into management in social care organisations. Harriet Phillips, who runs the scheme, said more still needed to be done to promote social care as a career choice.

Zoe Elkins, head of care strategy at The Good Care Group, told the Guardian: “There are so many issues and problems just waiting to be solved by somebody with a good head on their shoulders and a desire to make a difference.” 

The two graduates The Good Care Group has taken on through the scheme as care managers have brought a new dynamic to the team, said Zoe: “They don’t accept the status quo, which is important to us because the care sector has the potential to be quite stagnant, and it’s really nice to have people who look at things with a fresh pair of eyes and say ‘why are you doing that like that, why don’t you try and do it like this?”