Wetherspoons donates six figures to fund frontline healthcare apprenticeships

National pub chain Wetherspoons has invested in the health care sector through a hefty donation to pioneering home healthcare provider Cera, as part of the apprenticeship levy.

Cera has been awarded £200K+ to spend by April 2023 on frontline apprenticeships by Wetherspoons.

The funds, originally guaranteed last December, are set to cover the recruitment, training and deploying of 68 Adult Care Apprentices to achieve between a level 2, Adult Care Worker, and level 5, Leader in Adult care, Diploma in Care.  

Each level, funded by the pubs donation, will include the apprenticeship standards plus an industry-recognised qualification tailored to suit the needs of the individual, depending on their area of specialisation.

Examples of areas of expertise include, care for the elderly, dementia-specific, learning disabilities, or mental health.

All apprentices are due to be assessed by a qualified assessor, leading to a Regulated Qualifications Framework accreditation, and ultimately training them to deliver safe, empathetic, and effective care.

As it stands, over £100K of Wetherspoons’ donation has already been allocated.

Annabel Nash, Chief People Officer at Cera, said: ‘All of us at Cera are delighted to receive such significant investment from Wetherspoons as part of the Apprenticeship Levy.

‘Being selected as the recipient for this generous donation is testament to Wetherspoons’ understanding of just how important funding is for the health and care sector.

‘This sizeable donation will go a long way in growing the talent pool and attracting new recruits to a rewarding, lifelong career in care.’

This is the first time Wetherspoons have donated to Cera, with the potential for further investment in the future to help boost the care sector.

Cera delivers services on behalf of over a hundred local governments and 75% of NHS Integrated Care Systems, with the scale to make a real impact in reducing pressures across the health service – equivalent in capacity to 50 NHS hospitals.

Additionally, Cera have recently claimed a new Artificial Intelligence technology, that monitors staff to identify those most likely to hand in their notice, in a bid to help the current NHS staffing crisis.

Photo by Greg Willson