From courier to carer thanks to ND Care & Support

Carmarthenshire man who went from delivering parcels to providing care because of the pandemic is urging others keen for a change to take advantage of the rising trend for ‘occupational switching’

Watching the hardships of his friends and neighbours during the pandemic lead Andrew Watson from Cross Hands to join 6%* of the UK population and switch occupations in 2020.

Andrew had previously worked for Amazon but, seeing the community come together to look after each other during the lockdown, thought it was time for him to take a career leap and get a job offering a more caring role in society.

He decided to join ND Care & Support as a Care Support Worker and hasn’t looked back. Andrew comes from a family with a tradition of helping others: “My mother was a nurse for around 40 years and it’s about giving back. Seeing everything turn upside down due to Covid, I knew I wanted to change my job to be a part of people’s journeys and support those who need it most. I love it and wish I had done it a lot sooner.”

53 year old Andrew works five days a week, providing bespoke care services for people in Carmarthen with a variety of needs. Support to individuals can vary from personal care, helping with meals and medication, to supporting people who need help to get out and engage with their local community for social inclusion.

ND Care & Support provides specialist care to individuals in the comfort of their own homes and communities. Although Andrew had no formal care training, ND Care recognised that he had transferable skills for a caring role and leaped at the chance to give him the career change he was looking for.

Andrew Downey, Registered Manager, for ND Care & Support’s Cross Hands branch, said: “Having worked with big teams throughout his career in retail, Andrew had excellent people skills and thoroughly enjoyed working closely with others, so was a perfect fit for our work.

“At ND Care & Support, we pride ourselves in supporting our Care Workers to expand their skills as their careers progress and I’m looking forward to helping Andrew achieve career progression within the industry. He is a great example of someone who has had their eyes opened to a different job path due to the pandemic and excels at it.”

A registered member of Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), ND Care & Support supports more than 450 individuals and their families, with over 350 Care Workers working across Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, and Vale of Glamorgan.

Andrew added: “Going from working in retail to working for ND Care & Support has been a huge learning curve, but one that I have loved taking on and I haven’t looked back. I would encourage anyone looking for a new challenge to take the leap into the care sector as it is so rewarding.”

Have you been inspired by Andrew’s story? Click here to see the job opportunities available with ND Care & Support