Govan woman urges others to consider career in care
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This September, 20-year-old Niamh is urging others to consider the career swap as Kibble, a national charity providing care services for young people across Scotland, embarks on an ambitious recruitment programme aiming to bring 20 new recruits on board.
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Hide AdThe Career Start programme is Kibble’s annual recruitment drive seeking to bring ambitious and passionate people into its organisation as Child and Youth Care Worker (CYCW) trainees. The programme is available to anyone, regardless of career history and qualifications, who has a passion for providing positive pathways and care for young people.
Those who complete the 12-month training will be guaranteed an interview for a role with a salary over £30k per year and have further career development opportunities.
Niamh said: “I always knew I wanted a career that focused on helping people but having studied Social Sciences at college I never thought I had the right qualifications or experience to get into social or healthcare.
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Hide Ad“Finding the trainee course was ideal for me, it gave me confidence knowing I would be learning on the job and putting my new skills and knowledge into practice.
“Starting any job is really nerve wracking but add in to the equation the fact you’re working with these precious young people who have already experienced so much adversity and really rely on you as a positive, influential person in their lives – it was a lot. If I didn’t have the amazing support from the team and mentors, I don’t think I would be as confident in my role as I am.
“Throughout the trainee course I had a mentor who took me under his wing and was able to answer my millions of questions, which was really helpful. Everyone was so welcoming and told me about their own experiences working with the young people, I also enjoyed shadowing other members of staff. It showed me that everyone works in their own way that feels genuine and authentic to them.
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Hide Ad“I love that every day is different, the young people are really good to work with and it’s so rewarding when you can see you’re genuinely having a positive impact on their lives.”
Candidates who join and complete the course will achieve a HNC in Social Services with the chance to go on to become a CYCW at Kibble.
In the past year, 20 trainees qualified and secured a full-time CYCW role with Kibble. The charity also welcomed 21 new trainees who started working with the charity in 2024, all of whom are on-track to qualify within the next 8 months.
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Hide AdThe organisation is proud to base its recruitment strategy on values and ethics meaning a career at Kibble can be accessible to any candidate with a positive and compassionate attitude towards young people with trauma-experienced backgrounds.
Mark Macmillan, Director of Corporate Services, Kibble said: “Our Career Start training programme provides an accessible pathway for a rewarding career with the full mentoring and support.
“Becoming a Child and Youth Care Worker is a career, and our candidates all echo our values that it is a privilege to be a trusted and consistent influence in a young person’s life. With the right role models in place, the trajectory of a young person’s life can truly change.
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Hide Ad“We recruit based on a set of values and provide all necessary training required to fulfil essential carer roles within the charity.
“We are committed to recruiting the best carers for Kibble. which is why we go over and above to invest significantly in the learning and development of our staff. By delivering specialised training, we ensure our workforce is highly competent in how to deliver the right care, at the right time to young people who need it most.”
Kibble has been shortlisted at The Herald’s Top Employer Awards 2024 in the categories of Best Apprenticeship / Graduate Programme and Top Employer of the Year (Medium Business) for its work with young people.
Applications close on 1st November 2024.