On April 8, 2024, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Adult Services department are restarting their work placements for students studying Level 2 Health and Social Care with Coleg y Cymoedd.
The Council are welcoming four students onto placements that will last three weeks and cover a range of different settings, including residential care and day services for people with learning disabilities.
Neil Elliot, Director of Social Services, said: “I am very pleased to say that adult services are restarting their student placements programme in collaboration with colleagues from the health and social care course at Coleg y Cymoedd.
“Every year, the department have taken on several health and social care students from the college to complete work placements in a variety of different settings, and this will be the first year we have taken on students since the pandemic.
“This excellent initiative provides young people with the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience, develop transferable skills, and get a taste for working within the social care sector.
“I look forward to seeing how these young people develop over the course of their placements and wish them the best of luck with their studies.”
The students have gained essential skills through writing formal applications and participating in interviews for their placements. They will also be attending the Council’s formal social care inductions, just like all new members of staff. This will provide them the opportunity to gain practical knowledge of their field and their tutors will also be present at the induction training, contributing to their Continuing Professional Development and fostering a collaborative training environment.
The student placement programme is beneficial for several reasons. It not only provides local young people with meaningful social care work experience, but also helps the Council to promote the sector and the opportunities we can provide.
The aim of our student placements is to provide these young individuals with experience with the hope that we can bring them back in as full-time employees once they complete their qualifications.
Cllr. Gareth Caple, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “It is fantastic to see that adult services are once again offering work placements for the young people within our community so that they can develop valuable transferable skills.
“These placements play an important role in shaping the next generation of health and social care professionals by providing them with hands-on experience to supplement their knowledge.
“I encourage the students to embrace this opportunity and I hope they will enjoy their time working with us.”
During their three-week placements, each student is appointed a senior mentor, a line manager who guides them through the induction, and a coordinator who works with both the placement setting and the college to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The placement provides the students with a necessary experience to supplement the theory they learn during their level 2 qualification, and to prepare them for moving onto their level 3.
WeCare Wales are an organisation who aim to increase the profile of the social care sector. They state that while working with adults in social care can be challenging, for the right person, it can be really rewarding.
The types of roles within adult social care varies widely, and meaning that no matter your background or skills, there’s likely to be something for you. Some of the areas include:
To find out more about working in the social care sector, please visit the WeCare Wales website: https://wecare.wales/
To find out more information about Coleg y Cymoedd, and to see what courses they offer, please visit their website: https://www.cymoedd.ac.uk/
