Training carers for the elderly

The project aims at training young persons with a disability or impairment, between the ages of 18 and 24, as in-patient care assistants in retirement or care homes, and at placing them in the primary job market. Two job coaches support the participants, organise internships and help them in their search for suitable employment.

The project “Carers for the Elderly” (HelferIn für alte Menschen) aims at training young persons with a disability or impairment, between the ages of 18 and 24, as in-patient care assistants in retirement or care homes, and at placing them in the primary job market. Within this project, training of a carer takes 12 months and includes practical and theoretical instruction in care assistant work and in senior citizen care. Two job coaches support the young participants at work in various stations, organise internships and support them in their search for suitable employment. The challenge between qualification and professional integration is to ensure that the participants are actually “job ready”. For these young adults, this transition is facilitated by their assignment to a fixed department for the first six months and, during this time, the opportunity to work closely with the job coaches towards independence. After a maximum of six months, internships in other senior citizen and care homes ensure that the participants are prepared for employment in the open labour market.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

From 2002 (when the project started) to 2011, 59 young people have successfully completed training in the project, and of these, 38 young people found a job in the primary labour market.