A NEW care suite to help students wanting to work in the health and social care sector has been unveiled at a Worcestershire college.
Pershore College has opened up a new facility to allow its pupils to re-enact what it would be like in a working health and social care environment.
The new hybrid care suite directly replicates two environments learners would face when working in the care sector.
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It replicates a hospital's paediatric ward and a converted room a professional may find in someone's home or a care home.
The suite includes a hospital-style bed, a care home-style bed, a hoist, mannequins, a seating area, a dining area and appliances such as a washing machine, dishwasher and shower.
The facility will benefit all health and social care students at Pershore College, including T-Levels and adult-learning courses.
The college also plans to use the facility to help health and social care businesses develop and upskill their staff.
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Sam Starvis, head of Health and Education Studies at Pershore College, said: "This is a fantastic new facility for our students, and it will aid in developing vital practical skills.
"The care suite replicates the environment they would experience in industry and when they are out on work placement.
"So much so that we will be looking to engage with other businesses in the care sector to utilise our facility to help develop and upskill their own staff.
"This has been a long time in the works, so it is fantastic to finally be able to unveil it and open it for use by students.
"Alongside our partners within Colleges Worcestershire, we have been able to create a range of excellent free education and CPD resources too, which will only further help to provide a pipeline of highly-trained workers to support the region's health and social care sector."
The new facility comes after a collaboration between Heart of Worcestershire College, Kidderminster College and WCG, which secured more than £1.6 million from the Government's Strategic Development Fund to support new capital developments in social care teaching spaces.
The funding has also enabled WCG to invest in a new virtual Metaverse learning platform, allowing students to navigate a virtual hospital ward.
The college also plans to use the virtual learning environment to appeal to potential students.
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