Luke's story
“If you put the effort in and approach your career with an open mind, the opportunities here are extraordinary.”
Luke did not start his career with a set plan. What he did have was curiosity, commitment and the willingness to say yes to new experiences. Five years on, those qualities, supported by managers who believed in him, have taken him further than he imagined.
A career shaped by great support
Luke joined Community Integrated Care through a Skills for Care graduate placement, stepping into the Learning and Development team with a psychology degree and a willingness to learn. He soon found himself in a culture that invested in him from day one.
Luke’s manager, Nat, took time to understand his goals, build his confidence and help shape a social care career path, even when he wasn’t sure what that path was yet.
“She spent real time with me, helping me think about what I actually wanted to achieve. You do not get that everywhere.”
Building something amazing
Working alongside Nat, Luke helped develop GROW, Community Integrated Care’s award-winning learning and development programme. Designed to go beyond mandatory training, GROW gives social care colleagues the skills and confidence to help people live their best lives.
Recognising Luke’s dedication, the Head of Learning & Development entrusted him with leading the organisation-wide rollout. Presenting to the Executive Team, engaging Support Workers and leaders from across the organisation, and driving behaviour change became part of his everyday work.
“That was a massive show of faith. It gave me a completely different understanding of what I was capable of.”
When work changes lives
Luke’s next role as a People Specialist brought him closer to frontline impact. Our People team are responsible for managing the employee lifecycle and culture at Community Integrated Care, bringing together several functions including Recruitment, HR, Learning & Development, Payroll, Employee Relations and Communications & Marketing. Within this role, Luke supported one of the charity’s first complex care services, and helped people transition from long-stay NHS hospitals into supported living.
“For the first time I was directly involved in something that was going to transform someone’s life.”
The role broadened his understanding of the social care sector as he worked across Operations, Quality and Business Development.
Living leadership
Today, Luke works in the Partnerships and Communities Team, known for delivering some of the most innovative opportunities in social care. Their work spans sport, culture, wellbeing and digital inclusion, enabling people who access care to discover confidence, creativity and independence.
Through partnerships with major sports clubs, cultural institutions and community organisations, the team creates programmes that open doors to new skills, friendships and experiences.
For Luke, this role brings together everything he has learned: a solid grounding in understanding people with care and support needs, a strategic understanding of social care and a belief in the power of opportunity.
“All of my previous roles have given me a different lens. When I talk about what this charity does, I am not speaking from a brochure. I have lived it.”
Room to grow
For graduates and anyone looking for meaningful work, Luke’s career shows that the best journeys aren’t always predictable.
“I would not have predicted any of the roles I have ended up in. But the charity has brilliant people who recognise what you are good at and help create the opportunities. If you put the effort in, those opportunities will find you.”
Working in social care has also changed how he sees the world.
“Working in social care, whether on the frontline or behind the scenes ultimately benefits people with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs. You cannot help but see the value in what you are doing.”