It is no secret that the care sector has sometimes struggled to attract and retain talented people. But across Bupa Care Services, we have had success in bucking this trend. It is of course vital to create the right culture and offer competitive pay and benefits, but we also offer an innovative, earn while you learn apprenticeship programme to enable staff to upskill and branch out in their careers, with nationally recognised qualifications.
By creating clear development pathways and supporting colleagues to grow while remaining in work, you can build a workforce that is happy, skilled and motivated for the long term.
Over the past five years, since the introduction of apprenticeships at Bupa, more than 5,700 learners have taken the opportunity to enrol on a programme. Today, we currently offer 29 apprenticeships across a wide range of disciplines, with courses ranging from leadership skills to AI and data, from social care to dental nursing, and much more.
The range of courses means our staff can choose to complement their current skillset or branch out into something new, all while continuing to make a meaningful contribution in their existing role. So far, it has been a huge success. When polled, 96% of our Bupa Care Services colleagues who completed an apprenticeship said it made them more confident in their role, with 82% adding that it helped them in their career.
Investing in high-quality care
Investing in your workforce is investing in your residents. Offering the chance to learn new skills means that care homes benefit from the most up-to-date techniques, delivered by caring, committed people who are thriving in their field. Modern careers do not stand still.
Expanding into adjacent or new roles allows people to become more rounded and add strings to their bows, enabling them to carve out a career and stay in the care sector.
We are constantly looking to innovate with the apprenticeships we offer. Most recently, we partnered with Marco Pierre White’s Culinary Academy to create three new apprenticeships, that bring together culinary excellence, workforce development and professional recognition across Bupa care homes. These programmes establish a clear, structured pathway for kitchen assistants, catering assistants and care colleagues with an interest in food to progress into professional chef roles.
We have also found that employees who train with you, stay with you. 75% of Bupa Care Services colleagues who completed an apprenticeship have stayed with Bupa for more than a year afterwards. Investing in your employees demonstrates you value them and their own professional story, and that gives additional reasons for them to stay.
Danielle’s story
Take the example of Danielle, a Care Assistant in Broad Oak Manor Bupa Care Home. Danielle joined the Lead Adult Care Worker L3 apprenticeship programme and despite the significant pressures on her time and energy juggling life as a busy working mum, she remained determined to progress her career in care and provide the best possible support to the people she cares for.
Like many learners, Danielle initially found that a generic approach did not work for her. Rather than letting this become a barrier, she worked with the training provider to adapt her programme to focus on how she learns best, ensuring the training was meaningful, accessible and aligned to her strengths and real-life experience in care.
Once this personalised approach was in place, Danielle truly thrived. Her confidence grew and her progress accelerated at an incredible pace. So much so that she completed her diploma an impressive five months early.
During her apprenticeship, Danielle’s commitment and development did not go unnoticed. She successfully secured a promotion to Senior Carer, demonstrating not only her growing competence but also her leadership potential and dedication to high-quality care.
Danielle’s story highlights the true value of apprenticeships, not just as qualifications, but as career-changing opportunities that recognise individual needs, support real lives, and enable people to progress while working.
While not every organisation will be able to offer a broad range of apprenticeships, the lesson of investing in your people remains the same. Not only can this help to improve retention and attraction; by investing in your people, you are investing in your homes and residents too, driving up your standards and providing great experiences all round.
Do you agree that apprenticeships can help retain the sector’s talented workers? Comment on this column or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Tom Hoosen-Webber is General Manager at Bupa Care Services. Email: [email protected] Linkedin: @Tom-Hoosen-Webber