The Choice Care Group of residential care homes has teamed up with Paragon Skills for Industry to provide specialist training and careers for people who want to work with adults with learning disabilities.

Choice provides quality residential care for people with learning difficulties and mental health issues, with seven homes across Gloucestershire under its Orchard End brand, providing a safe, supportive and therapeutic environment for people with learning disabilities and mental health needs.

Choice worked with Paragon, a leading provider of apprenticeships and other vocational training courses across the south of England, to devise a training programme which offers people the opportunity to train as a professional care worker and enjoy a rewarding and worthwhile career.

Students will all work in one of the Choice Care Group's homes, with supported training and guidance provided by Paragon's experienced and qualified Health and Social Care training team. Recent relaxations in the laws covering care homes means that for the first time, young people aged 16 and 17 are able to work in the industry and start their training as soon as they leave school.

Paul Gold, Chief Executive for the Choice Care Group said: "With our first responsibility being to our service users we need to ensure that we have properly skilled and qualified staff who are able to provide the excellent levels of daily care that we demand of our staff and to which our service users are entitled.

"This partnership means that we are able to support and employ people who want to work in the care industry, whilst giving them the training and qualifications that they need to succeed as professional care workers and have the opportunity to gain an exciting and rewarding career path within the Group. We get great staff, they get great training and our residents get superb care."

Jane Williams, Care Programme Development Manager from Paragon added: "It's wonderful to be able to offer such excellent training and career opportunities in partnership with the Choice Group. 

"Working with vulnerable adults is such a rewarding career, and the people we train soon develop the skills and gain the qualifications that equip them to take their place as a true health care professional, with excellent prospects for promotion and progression."

Recruitment to the programme takes place throughout the year, and anyone interested in taking an apprenticeship with the Choice Care Group should contact Paragon Skills for Industry on 0800 783 2545.