Milton Keynes College has teamed up with Home Instead, a home healthcare services company who work with Age UK, to offer our Access to Higher Education (HE) learners insight into the domestic care industry. This collaboration has already produced two events, which have allowed our students to connect with care professionals and clients to learn more about the people and practices within the sector.

On 1st April, our Access to HE students met with staff from Home Instead at the Chaffron Way campus to create crafts while learning more about careers in domestic care. The crafts were inspired by conversations and themes around care, memory, and personal stories. On 29th April, Home Instead hosted an afternoon tea party at their Milton Keynes office, bringing together learners and clients for a relaxed afternoon of food and conversation. During the event, learners also had the opportunity to share their crafts with the clients.

Bringing together learners exploring careers in health and social care and the clients of Home Instead, the event was well-attended, and the learners enjoyed meeting the clients. As part of the event programme, some of the learners performed live music for the clients.

Feedback from Home Instead praised the event as a blend of joy, connection, creativity and care, and commended our students on their sociability and cheer. The collaboration between Home Instead and Milton Keynes College builds bridges between members of local community through shared experiences and deeper understanding of the issues of the clients of domestic care services.

Tess Gazeley, Deputy Head of School for Access to HE at Milton Keynes College, said: “”It was a fantastic opportunity to work with Home Instead. Our learners thoroughly enjoyed both events. They had the chance to learn about how the company supports its clients, interact with the company’s staff, and meet some of the clients themselves. Additionally, our learners received valuable advice on job opportunities to help them with their future career.

“We are really grateful for the opportunity and look forward to working with Home Instead again in the future.”

Zahra Kassim, Community Engagement Lead at Home Instead, said: “We hope the event inspired some of these bright young people to consider a career path in health and social care, where they can truly make a difference. A heartfelt thank you to Milton Keynes College for your continued partnership, and to every student, client, and team member who made the day so special.

“These moments of connection are what community is all about – and we’re already excited to see where the next phase of this collaboration takes us.”

To learn more about Milton Keynes College’s work with the community, read more here.