Local Community Health Care Sector Needs being met by Baltinglass LTI
The Community Support Worker Programme which runs in Baltinglass is in its sixth year. Since 2011 the programme has been an integral part of the Healthcare industry in the local area with many of the past participants progressing to employment in the healthcare sector while others progressed to 3rd Level education.
It was identified that there was a need for experienced and well trained staff in the Health Care Sector in the local area and the Community Support Worker programme has successfully filled that need as over the past 6 years the majority of our past participants have secured employment both full time and part time within many aspects of the Health Care Sector in Wicklow and Kildare.
How We Work
This programme is a combination of theory and practice with the participants attending class on Mondays and Tuesdays and then applying their theory to practice on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Participants are mentored by qualified experienced staff within the work placements and this is one reason why this programme is so successful.
Each participant does a combination of two placements lasting 16 weeks each, one in a Care of the Older Person setting and one in an Intellectual Disability setting. Each participant finishes the 44 week programme with two very comprehensive work experiences, giving a very different learning outcome as well as allowing the participant to create good working relationships with mentors, colleagues and service users alike.
Our Success Stories
Our students have progressed to work in diverse areas such as KARE, Sunbeam, Cheshire Ireland, Baltinglass Hospital, St John of God’s, Northern Health Board and Nua Healthcare, Stewarts. Others have sourced work through nursing homes such as Mill Lane, Silverstream Healthcare, Glendale Nursing Home while others have joined agencies such as CPL and TTM and many work directly with CareMark, Home Instead and Bluebird. Some past participants are now studying Applied Social Studies in Social Care St. Patrick’s college and IT Carlow.