Students looking for a rewarding career in social care still have time to apply for a new training initiative that may lead to a guaranteed job.

Eastern Daily Press: Kingsley Healthcare's Lowestoft headquarters, Kingsley House. Picture: Sam Markwell.Kingsley Healthcare's Lowestoft headquarters, Kingsley House. Picture: Sam Markwell. (Image: Archant)

Lowestoft-based Kingsley Healthcare has partnered with East Coast College to launch the Kingsley Care Academy, which will offer 12 students a one year course mixing classroom study at the Lowestoft campus with work experience at Kingsley's local care homes.

Kingsley will offer candidates accepted on to the course a laptop, a £250 bursary and £250 end-of-course bonus, Academy branded polo shirts and an invitation to the annual Kingsley Care Awards.

Students who successfully complete the course will be offered a job at one of Kingsley's local homes.

Kingsley chief executive Daya Thayan said: 'We want young people to see care as a worthwhile career, not simply a job. The care industry is as big as any other vibrant industry, like the oil industry, but a constraint until now has been a lack of training facilities and opportunities for youngsters.'

Assistant principal Rachel Bunn said: 'East Coast College is looking forward to the new and exciting partnership with Kingsley. This new partnership will provide opportunities for the local care sector and economy.'

Social care courses spokesman Amber Spearing said: 'We will be offering interviews for the Academy to students studying social care with us who demonstrate the greatest passion and commitment to working in the sector.

'The opportunity is open to students studying level one, two or three; as well as 16-year-old school leavers we will equally be considering more mature candidates on our courses.'

Ms Spearing said there was still time to sign up for social care courses at the college and meet the October 6 deadline for Academy applications and the course start date after October half-term.

Kingsley recruitment manager Bev Lambert said: 'We originally planned to launch the Academy last year but moving into our new headquarters in Lowestoft, Kingsley House, necessarily became the focus of our attention. We are proud to have created this exciting opportunity for young people in the town where we started as a company. If they work hard, there will be almost limitless opportunities for them to progress their careers.'

Students interested in the academy, who have yet to sign up at the college, are invited to email a.spearing@eastcoast.ac.uk