ERA opens doors to local employment pathways in Grimsby and launches their first Proud to Care Pilot
ERA Employment, a local ethical recruitment agency in Grimsby, is working in partnership with Hales Home Care and NELC to create a more personal approach to jobs in care. ERA wanted to reach out to candidates that have the desire to work in the Care Sector but don’t know where to start and have struggled to apply in the past. ERA’s new Proud to Care pathway is supported by the local council and the national Home Care employer Hales Group, who have branches in North East Lincolnshire, to provide training and temporary work for people that results in permanent employment for the successful candidates.
Quote from Katie Brown; Director or Adult Services, North East Lincolnshire Council – ‘Recruitment and retention of staff in social care services in North East Lincolnshire continues to be a challenge for us. The work that ERA have done to support people into work is a great example of how we can work with partners in the voluntary sector and with social care employers to help address this problem using new ways of working.’
ERA’s idea has been derived by the realisation that there are willing candidates out there who want a job in care but are struggling to get work because they don’t have the skills or know how to apply effectively and are getting dismissed by the normal channels. ERA Manager, Rachel Button said; “I know this is a fact as I spoke to a few candidates at recruitment events. One young lady had passed her Level 2 Health and Social care course but couldn’t find work in the Care Sector due to having no experience nor did she have the skills to portray herself on Indeed. She had to take a job in a factory as she needed the money – what a waste! This inspired me to see how ERA can make a change.” ERA is different and more ethical in our approach to recruitment, as they can identify skills in a person and help them through the recruitment process. They have good success rates in the past and want to help employers find good, motivated staff with better retention rates and open doors for more candidates. ERA is a not for profit organisation owned by Centre4 Charity Community Hub and works to support the local community.
ERA is working with Hales Homecare to provide the Care Certificate training along with a DBS certificate and 12 weeks paid temporary employment, supported by a mentor, with the aim to train them in this challenging but valued care role; and take them on permanently after the 12 weeks. The benefits to the employer are that they will not have to spend time (and costs) recruiting as ERA will complete this process for them. They will be able to train staff to their standards, so growing their own team who share their values and vision. They will be able to help them to develop during the 12 weeks before taking them on permanently. ERA supports the candidates and the employer through the process and creates opportunities for employment for unemployed people in the area. Hales Homecare wanted to work with ERA on this pilot as they could see the benefit of offering support to new candidates and they share ERA’s ethical, community approach.
We wanted to share Roza’s story, the young lady that inspired ERA to run this pilot. Roza is now employed permanently with Hales after successfully completing 8 weeks of paid shadowing shifts.
“Hi my name is Roza Teklay I am 22 years old. I was born in Eritrea, in Ethiopia. I came to the UK December 9th 2016 as a refugee, I lived in the Willows Children’s Residential Home for 2 years. I started learning English at CLS down Freeman Street, which is now called Learning4life, while I was there I studied English maths and ICT, for 2 years. I improved my English and maths skills and I had a lot of support from tutors. After studying for 2 years at CLS I moved to Grimsby College to study health and social care, as I always wanted to become a nurse that was the course I had chosen to begin my dream career. While I was studying health and social care I also did my GCSE English and Maths, and worked part time at Youngs factory to support myself. As I always wanted to work with people and to become a nurse I had to apply for care jobs several times but it wasn’t easy to get one in the care sector. I finally got the opportunity to work in care with the help and support of Ethical Recruitment (ERA) they gave me the opportunity to become a caregiver and this has helped me to see my future career path. Working with people is one of the best ways to become a good caregiver or nurse. I was offered permanent role with Hales in June. It has also helped me to apply for my university nursing degree course as I added this experience in my personal statement which got me a good feedback from the university. Thank you ERA Team for everything you have done for me, thank you very much I appreciate it.”
Quotes from other Proud to Care candidates – Rachel Robinson “I’m fully enjoying shadowing and I am hopeful that I can go full time with Hales. Caring has always been in my blood and I enjoy looking after people as well as meeting new people”. – Abigail Grey “I love my job with Hales, it gives me chance to meet new people and to help those that need it”.
ERA’s mission statement is to:-
“To change the face of recruitment by making people our focus, standing by our ethical values and not for profit ethos; always with our community and local business at the heart of our vision” They feel the Proud to Care Pilot is a great example of their purpose and mission for recruitment in NEL
Hales Staff (left to right) Louise Cunningham, Gemma Coupland ,Karis Poelstra ,Nicola Coleman (Hales Grimsby manager)
Proud to Care Carers (left to right) Abigail Grey ,Chantelle Parker ,Rachel Robinson, Roza Teklay
ERA Staff (left to right) Molly Lawrence ,Rachel Button (ERA Manager),Mary Mumby ,Debbie Neary
If you have previously cared for family members and feel this is something you can do as a career but don’t know where to start? Or are you newly trained with no experience and struggling to find work?
Then please contact the ERA Team through their website https://eraemployment.agency/ or contact on 01472236677 for a chat