Inspiring The Next Generation

Article Last Reviewed: 9 Oct 2025

The pandemic cast a spotlight on the vital role of the social care sector and the skilled professionals who sustain it — a workforce that is too often overlooked. Despite this increased visibility, many myths and misconceptions about social care persist within our communities.

To challenge these misunderstandings, we must actively engage with schools and colleges — not only to provide students with accurate, real-time insights into the sector, but also to help shape curricula that reflect the evolving needs of service users.

A significant number of people remain unaware of the distinctions between residential, domiciliary, and supported living care. With Labour’s proposed transformation of social care — including the creation of a locally delivered National Care Service built on a ‘home first’ principle — we have a responsibility to both upskill our current workforce and inspire the next generation to join us. This is a challenge we in the sector can meet, and one that Clifton Homecare is addressing through active engagement with our local community, including primary and secondary schools, colleges, and sixth forms.

As part of the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign, Clifton Homecare is proud to host industry placements for T Level students. These placements reveal that social care is far more than supporting personal care needs. Students receive training in the NEWS2 system — a vital triage tool that ensures individuals who are unwell or injured receive timely and appropriate support from healthcare professionals. This training is essential, particularly as we care for people with increasingly complex and dynamic needs.

Participation in training schemes such as T Levels and Apprenticeships is crucial. These programmes offer young people a chance to explore the sector and discover the rewarding careers it holds. It’s a message we must amplify: social care is a meaningful, skilled profession with diverse opportunities. T Levels, still relatively new, provide a technical education and a pathway into the workplace, while also serving as a stepping stone to Apprenticeships — which are fundamental to the sustainability of care businesses like ours.

As an SME, Clifton Homecare relies on continuous staff development to maintain an agile and responsive workforce. Supporting lifelong learning not only enhances the quality of care we provide, but also brings fresh ideas, best practices, and innovation into our business — all of which benefit our clients.

We’ve seen firsthand the value of investing in T Level students. When students discover a genuine passion for the work and the people, it’s deeply rewarding. Our experienced team members enjoy sharing their knowledge, and this exchange has boosted recruitment, retention, and morale. Of course, delivering high-quality training requires effort — from setting clear expectations to providing robust support — but the benefits are undeniable.

Clifton Homecare is honoured to be a Regional T Level Employer finalist in the 2025 National Apprenticeship & Skills Awards. While our contribution may be modest in scale, it is rich in quality. We’re proud to represent SMEs at the awards ceremony, which takes place on Tuesday 14th October at the Hilton, Liverpool.

For further information regarding the Skills gap and what role employers, educators, providers and careers hubs need to play to meet the changing needs of service users this is a useful article:

Examining the Skills Gap: inspiring young people to take up careers in health and social care | The Careers and Enterprise Company.

By Caroline Cosh, Director and Registered Manager of Clifton Homecare Limited