Baxter Life Care offers care services in the Blackpool and Manchester areas, and has developed a series of care academy courses that will help those who have no industry experience or wish to update their knowledge base.

The first group of successful candidates have completed a Level 2 Certificate in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care and celebrated their success at the company’s launch event on Friday.

Baxter Life Care has always believed that training is a key element in developing and maintaining a quality service, and has launched its own training company Baxter Life Training.

Simon Hamer, Training Co-ordinator, said “We are very proud of the training and development pathway that we offer to those with a genuine desire to work in healthcare.

“We are Delighted to announce Baxter Life Training Ltd has been granted level 1 direct claims access and have now been approved to open a training centre to deliver level 2 Accredited CACHE qualifications.”

The company were keen to help the long term unemployed in the Mereside area and to recruit new candidates for their growing care business.

Simon said: “We held an open day at The Lakes Community Centre in Mereside and had 23 expressions of interest which provided 15 eligible candidates to participate on a Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care Level 2 course.

“The candidates were long term unemployed, of which 14 were single parents ranging from 16-58 years of age. The good news is that they all qualified, and are now being offered positions with Baxter Life Care with hours to suit their individual needs.

“Blackpool Council’s Business Support Team, based at The Enterprise Centre, has supported us throughout and hosted this award ceremony.”

Cllr Mark Smith, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Business and Economic Development, said: “It’s great to see that companies like Baxter Life Care are helping to reduce the level of unemployment in the town by equipping people with the skills to forge a career in adult social care.

“All 15 of the candidates qualified, which shows that hard work pays off. We are proud to host the award ceremony and recognise their achievements.

“Local businesses can benefit from our expert advice and support even after they are up and running to help them develop and grow.”