CoVE Conference gets the new Agenda for Health and Social Care Reform Rolling - 31 July 2006

Promoting the role of CoVEs (Centres of Vocational Excellence) as a government vehicle to modernise and increase skills within local Health and Social Care settings, 1st in Care Cove took to the stage on Friday 21 July.

Hosting a conference for local service providers within the Centre for Care, Education and Public Services at Suffolk College, the 1st in Care Cove (that works across three colleges in the County – Suffolk College, West Suffolk College, and Lowestoft College) presented a day of information and guidance to help Health and Social Care services in Suffolk and North Essex understand the challenges set out in the Government’s new Sector Skills Strategy, to be launched later this week. The strategy identifies that, with an ageing population, an increase in the numbers of children with special needs, and an older workforce, the need to increase the numbers of staff and the quality of training in the sector is now paramount. In the East of England, the Skills Strategy will bring new targets to recruit, train and retain qualified staff, with the government offering a number of new funding streams to help employers with the task.

Working in partnership with Skills for Health and Skills for Care – the Sector Skills Councils, The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), and Suffolk County Council, the 1st in Care CoVE will provide a range of employers who provide services, with the resources they need to access high quality training, including tailor made packages for their settings and ‘up to the minute’ information.

Lizzie Corke, CoVE Manager for the three colleges states “The introduction of Cove’s illustrates the new role for Further Education in meeting employers needs and stabilising Health and Social Care provision to serve the local population. We are very excited about the recent developments, and hope that employers will use us to achieve their targets, and strengthen their workforces.

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"As a CoVE we will also be offering training to meet the sector skills requirements in Early Years, Childcare, and Social Housing Training, and we welcome all employers to come forward and use our services. The conference last Friday was a marvellous start to begin the joined up working necessary in the sector to meet the Governments new requirements”.

A record of the conference for employers who missed the event is available online at CEPSconference.blogspot.com and Lizzie Corke can be contacted on 01473 296663 or by email to lizziecorke@suffolk.ac.uk

ENDS

^ Pictured, left to right: Lizzie Corke, CoVE Manager; Teresa Logan, LSC; Jan Sheldon, Skills for Care; Alison Manning, SCC, and Natalie Chaplin, Head of CEPS. Delegates came from a range of services across Suffolk and North Essex.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

For further information please contact:

Lizzie Corke, CoVE Manager

Tel: 01473 296663

Email: lizziecorke@suffolk.ac.uk

Suffolk College, located adjacent to the historic Ipswich waterfront, offers the widest range of high quality further and higher education courses in Suffolk.

Web Links: www.suffolk.ac.uk

www.ucs.ac.uk

Issued by Promotions

31 July 2006