Major North West not-for-profit housing association, Apex, which manages a stock of some 5,500 homes, has launched a unique partnership with St Cecilia’s College, seeking to inspire the future workforce.
The project sees employees from Apex work closely on a programme of activity with 15 A Level pupils studying Health and Social Care in the college. The programme, supported by Business in the Community, aims to raise awareness of the varied job roles within the sector, and in particular with Apex.
Elaine Taylor, Director of Personnel and Training, Apex explains: “Our business is housing and associated care and support services. Over almost 50 years in the North West region, we have worked hard to grow our business throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
“Developing our current staff of 600 employees is core to what we do on a daily basis, however, as a responsible business we want to go further, and inspiring young people to consider a career in health and social care is vitally important to us, to our communities and to the economy.”
The programme offers work inspiration opportunities for the pupils giving them the opportunity to experience a variety of job roles in the health and social care field, but supported along the way by qualified Apex staff.
Sarah Quinn at Business in the Community, said: “At Business in the Community we aim to help every business to have responsible business at their core, giving consideration to, and taking action on social and environmental issues.
“This programme meets a number of needs. Firstly, it delivers a range of topics aligned to the curriculum modules of the Health and Social Care A Level as well as enhancing the employability, resilience and confidence of the pupils. It also meets a need within the community. St Cecilia’s sits in the heart of some of Apex’s housing projects and this programme demonstrates Apex’ commitment to give something back to the communities in which it operates.”