News: Nottingham College is a champion for carers!
Nottingham College has been nationally recognised for the support it offers to staff members who are also carers in their home – the first college in the UK to receive such an accolade.
Carers UK’s business forum, Employers for Carers, is a national membership service and forum for employers. Informed by business and supported by the specialist knowledge of Carers UK, it aims to raise awareness and standards in the support offered by employers to members of their workforce who have caring responsibilities.
Employers for Carers has recently awarded Nottingham College ‘Accomplished’ status, second only to the highest level of ‘Ambassador’, in its UK-wide benchmarking scheme dedicated to carer support, Carer Confident.
The award recognises the College’s efforts to actively engage with its 70 or so registered carers who juggle their professional and home lives on a daily basis. It’s through this engagement that the College has developed a comprehensive understanding of the pressures and challenges involved in balancing home and work life, especially for those who are responsible for family members with complex needs.
From this, the College has extended its network to involve partners including The Alzheimer’s Society, the Nottinghamshire Carers Trust and Ambitious About Autism, to offer tailored support and advice to its staff.
This, along with other measures, including active recruitment campaigns to attract carers, has set the College apart from its peers and establishes the organisation as a leader nationally in implementing inclusion and inclusivity initiatives for the benefit not just of the workforce, but for the wider College community.
Our staff are our most valuable and important asset. For a college, they are our teachers, our mentors and those who manage complex business functions to aid and benefit the delivery of education and training to our next generation.
With an increasing number of people finding themselves having to balance work with the demands of caring for an elderly relative, a disabled person in the home or a child with additional learning or development needs, we recognised that if we didn’t approach the challenge proactively, we could see valuable, experienced staff members forced to leave paid work to care permanently at home.
Through this award and the ongoing work we’re doing, we can ensure that we invest in our people, creating support for them whilst at work, and at home, and reap the rewards of creating a truly supportive and inclusive workplace for all.
— Martin Sim, Nottingham College Interim Chief Executive
Nottingham College is the first college in the UK to have been awarded Carer Confident accreditation, recognising their proactive approach to engaging with their staff and acknowledging the dedicated support in place throughout the organisation for the carers who work there. We’re thrilled to have the college in our network, championing the vital role that carers play in the workplace. We look forward to working with them on their future initiatives.
— Katherine Wilson, Head of Employment, Carers UK
Published on:
- 22nd September 2021 (3:03 PM)
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