HEALTH and social care jobs have been thrown into the spotlight in a bid to inspire people to consider a career in one of the county’s biggest sectors.

Working with NHS and adult social care colleagues, East Sussex County Council’s employability and skills team is raising the profile of specific job roles within the sector.

The ‘local industries’ section on the Careers East Sussex website showcases roles that people may not be aware of, alongside jobs where there are known vacancies such as support worker, healthcare assistant, A&E nurse, general nurse, care assistant, social worker, podiatrist and physiotherapist.

The site offers information about the key skills and tasks needed to work in these roles, the training or qualifications that might be needed, what these jobs could lead onto and a film of people working in each of these roles about their work and their motivation for doing it.

Cllr Penny di Cara, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for economy said: “The project focusses on a priority area for Skills East Sussex – the board tasked with improving local employment and skills levels.

“By sharing information about these careers with school leavers and those wanting a change of direction, we hope to generate interest and encourage more people into these rewarding roles.”

As well as sharing the short films on social media, posters with QR codes linking to the website have been sent to every school, college and job centre in the county to encourage people to visit the site and find out more.

Steve Aumayer, Acting Chief Executive at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has been excited to work with our East Sussex County Council partners on this important initiative. Health and social care represents one of the largest employment opportunities in the county and by raising the profile and bringing information on key roles together, we hope to be able to signpost people to the exciting and fulfilling careers that are open to them in the sector and how to access them.”

Cllr Carl Maynard, the county council’s lead member for adult social care and health added: “There are many extremely rewarding roles in adult social care that people might not immediately consider when their looking for work or embarking on a new career.  The information on the website will give people a helpful insight into the roles on offer.

“I’m very grateful to staff in our adult social care team for giving their time to create content for the website and sharing their passion for their jobs.”

The health and social care pages can be found on the Careers East Sussex website at www.careerseastsussex.co.uk/information/local-industries/health-and-social-care

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