Supporting Careers within Adult Social Care: The Earn and Learn College Placement Blueprint

Promoted on behalf of the Joint Social Services Taskforce (JSST)

The adult social care sector faces challenges in recruitment and retention. The Joint Social Services Taskforce (JSST), a group jointly chaired by the Scottish Government and COSLA, has been looking at ways to address these types of priority issues for the social care workforce.

The JSST endorsed the development of an Earn and Learn College Placement Blueprint as one of its workstreams. The Scottish Government has been working with a range of partners from across the social care and college sectors on its development, drawing on existing best practice where colleges and social care employers have built strong partnerships to provide these types of placements. The Blueprint shows how employers, colleges, and students can work together to help more people start rewarding careers in social care.

By offering students paid placements while they study, the Earn and Learn model helps remove financial barriers for students, and provides a supported entry route into the sector with the opportunity to gain relevant qualifications. This model is not mandatory or government funded. Instead, the Blueprint gives employers an option they can consider when planning recruitment into their organisations.

“Careers in social care can be fulfilling and rewarding and it’s important we do all we can to offer clear pathways into the sector. The Joint Social Services Taskforce (JSST) has been looking at ways to assist employers in recruiting dedicated, talented people into adult social care.

The Scottish Government has worked with partners to create an Earn and Learn College Placement Blueprint that offers a recruitment model for employers that allows individuals to take their first steps into a career in social care as they complete their studies. I would encourage employers and colleges to consider this model to support the growth and sustainability of the adult social care workforce.” – Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and Co-Chair of the JSST

What Is an Earn and Learn College Placement?

An Earn and Learn College Placement is where students receive wages for the placement hours they undertake in a social care setting while studying for qualifications like:

• NC Health and Social Care (SCQF Level 6)
• SVQ Social Services and Healthcare (SCQF Levels 6 or 7)
• HNC Social Services (SCQF Level 7)

Students are employed on short-term contracts and are paid by their placement provider. These placements help students gain the practical skills needed for social care roles, while meeting their course requirements.

This approach is flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of employers, colleges, and students in different areas.

Why Earn and Learn College Placements Work

Earn and learn college placements bring a range of benefits:

For Students:

• Students are paid for their work, which helps them financially while they study.
• They gain experience of being employed in the sector and learn what social care jobs involve.
• These placements help them build confidence and skills, making it easier to find a permanent role after their course.

For Employers:

• Employers benefit from having motivated students who can bring fresh ideas, and who will also provide valuable staffing hours.
• They can see how students perform as employees in their workplace and decide if they are suitable for a permanent role.
• Placements also help existing staff develop mentoring and supervision skills.

For the Social Care Sector:

• Paid placements can help to recruit new people into social care, especially young people or career changers.
• They can improve course completion rates and encourage more people to stay in the sector.
• This approach builds a stronger, qualified workforce and helps meet the sector’s long-term recruitment needs.

Setting Up an Earn and Learn College Placement:

The Blueprint offers high-level principles on how employers and colleges can work closely together to establish earn and learn placements, allowing for local flexibility.

This includes building early partnerships to support recruitment needs, joint planning for placements, working together on recruitment of students, setting the expectations of employment, and providing a supportive approach during a student’s induction and throughout their placement.

Real Life Success Stories

The Blueprint provides case studies on where these types of placements have been established, and the value they have brought to the college, employer and student. One of these examples is from Glasgow Clyde College and Glasgow HSCP
where an 18-week course was created that combines classroom learning with paid internships. Students are guaranteed an interview for a full-time job after completing the course.

“At Glasgow Clyde College we are delighted to work with The Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership in creating this innovative approach to support a pipeline of employees into the workforce in the Adult Social Care Sector. This model reflects the aims of the blueprint and I am sure will further develop capacity within colleges and employers to develop the workforce across Scotland.” – Claire Glen, Assistant Principal: Health, Wellbeing & Management, Glasgow Clyde College

A Step Towards a Stronger Workforce

The Earn and Learn College Placement model is a win-win for everyone. Students get paid while they learn, employers can recruit and train potential permanent staff, and the sector builds a stronger, more capable workforce.

View key documents on webpage here

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