A Paisley woman is urging people to consider a career in care after successfully completing an apprenticeship.
Julie Ann McKinley from Dykebar has swapped her job working in retail for 25 years for a career working with care-experienced young people and would like others to consider a career swap.
Julie Ann works at Kibble – a national charity providing care services for young people across Scotland – and is supporting the organisation as it embarks on an ambitious programme aiming to bring 20 new recruits on board.
The Career Start scheme is Kibble’s annual recruitment drive seeking to bring ambitious and passionate people into its organisation as child and youth care worker (CYCW) trainees.
The programme is available to anyone, regardless of career history and qualifications, who has a passion for providing positive pathways and care for young people.
Those who complete the 12-month training will be guaranteed an interview for a role with a salary of more than £30,000 per year with further career development opportunities also available.
“A career change was always something I thought happened to other people,” Julie Ann told the Paisley Daily Express . “I never believed that I would be able to break out of the career path that I’d been in for such a long time.
“But when I saw that Kibble were offering on-the-job training and a Scottish Living Wage from the outset I took the plunge and – thankfully – I’ve never looked back.
“I really feel like I’ve found my calling with the child and youth care worker role. I have always wanted to work with children and young people and, although some of the children have their own unique set of challenges, it makes the rewards of the job so much more fulfilling.
“I would encourage anyone who is feeling they need more of a purpose than their current role is giving them to consider a career in care.
“It’s the best move I could have made and I have full confidence that anyone coming into the organisation will get as much job satisfaction and enjoyment out of their role as I do.”
Candidates who join and complete the course will achieve a HNC in social services with the chance to go on to become a CYCW at Kibble.
In the past year, 20 trainees qualified and secured a full-time CYCW role with Kibble. It also welcomed 21 new trainees who started working with the charity in 2024, all of whom are on track to qualify within the next eight months.
The organisation is proud to base its recruitment strategy on values and ethics meaning a career at Kibble can be accessible to any candidate with a positive and compassionate attitude towards young people with trauma-experienced backgrounds.
Mark Macmillan, director of corporate services at Kibble, said: “Our Career Start training programme provides an accessible pathway for a rewarding career with full support.
“Becoming a child and youth care worker is a career, and our candidates all echo our values that it is a privilege to be a trusted and consistent influence in a young person’s life. With the right role models in place, the trajectory of a young person’s life can truly change.
“We recruit based on a set of values and provide all necessary training required to fulfil essential carer roles within the charity.
“We are committed to recruiting the best carers for Kibble which is why we go over and above to invest significantly in the learning and development of our staff.
“By delivering specialised training, we ensure our workforce is highly competent in how to deliver the right care, at the right time to young people who need it most.”
Kibble has been shortlisted at The Herald’s Top Employer Awards 2024 in the categories of best apprenticeship/graduate programme and top employer of the year (medium business) for its work with young people.
Applications close on Friday, November 1.
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