Craighaven care home.
My name is Kelsey, my care work journey started in august 2014, I had no previous experience working in care, with elderly people or working with patients with dementia. I gained some knowledge and experience through in-house training before starting the health and social care Apprenticeship level 2. I did this course with Aurelia Training with Vicky as my assessor. I found the course really good and relevant to my job role. It really helped me to gain further knowledge and experience working in the care sector. During and after this course my confidence in caring for elderly patients with dementia grew.
Just before I completed my Level 2 in 2017, an in-house job was advertised for a trainee management position. I mentioned this to Vicky in one of our sessions, I said I had not applied for it because I didn’t feel I was capable. Vicky encouraged me to apply for this position and gave me the confidence to believe in myself that I could achieve what I wanted to. I then applied for the position and to my surprise I was given the opportunity following a couple of interviews and finding out what the job entailed. Myself and my manager then contacted Aurelia training (Vicky) to inform them and find out what courses I needed to do to further my career.
I then went on to start the Level 3 award in health and social care, again with Vicky as my assessor. During this course I was promoted to a senior carer, my confidence continued to grow as I learnt how to manage a small team and the occasional running of the home with a manager on call or present. Aurelia training have also been providing courses for the home for a long time, so they are also familiar with the staff, management team, how the home works and some of the residents. During my Level 3 part of the criteria was to provide the service users with a group activity and Vicky needed to assess me during it. She came with David, another assessor who works for Aurelia . We then all began decorating cakes with the service users’ consent. Vicky and David both joined in with the service users and myself and we had a lovely afternoon filled with laughter. The assessors were really friendly with all of the residents and really made it a special afternoon and one I’ll never forget. I also felt at ease because I didn’t feel like I was being assessed.
After completing my Level 3 I went onto my Level 5 which was an apprenticeship course in leadership and management for adult care. For this course I went to their offices where I met more assessors and members of the team at Aurelia. All of which made me feel welcome, their offices are well equipped with plenty of space to learn and Lunch and refreshments were also provided. I found that by going to their offices where other learners were, helped me to interact with other managers from care homes and we exchanged ideas. Vicky and David also worked closely with me to help me complete this course. Vicky worked with my manager to ensure I was also learning the practical side of things at the care home as well to help me from falling behind.
During these courses, my confidence and knowledge has really grown. Which has also helped bring new ideas into our care home and has helped me as deputy manager running the home. Upon completion of this course I was given my certificate and had my photo taken . Vicky even brought some lovely cake into the care home so we could all celebrate.
Lastly just before completing my Level 5 Vicky mentioned that there is another course I could do. She gave me the information. Again I didn’t feel capable of doing this award but Vicky gave me the confidence so I asked my manager and the owner of the home, both of which were pleased to offer it to me, which I am very grateful for.
So currently I am doing the level 7 diploma in Strategic Management. Unfortunately, due to current circumstances we are having to do this course remotely but Vicky is always available to contact if I need help. I have really enjoyed working with Aurelia training and will be sure to continue to use them in the future for my staff. If it wasn’t for Vicky encouraging me to apply for the job I might not of been where I am today. I am grateful for all the help and support Aurelia training have given me over the years and have really enjoyed getting to know them.
Thank you to everyone at Aurelia training!
Kelsey.