Social care lecturer is on an employability mission as she returns to University

Her knowledge about what employers want and how to navigate the social care and social work systems will give a new lecturer’s students enhanced employability.

Christine Collymore has joined the University’s Faculty of Health and Society as Senior Lecturer in Social Care and is a qualified social worker who specialised in mental health.

She is making a full, professional circle by working at Waterside, having gained her social work qualification with the University of Northampton and later studying for her Master’s here.

Christine previously worked at Skills for Care, a national organisation which supports the adult social care workforce providing expert advice about a range of topics including recruitment, professional standards, learning and development and regulation.

Christine said: “I’m only in my fifth week here but it’s wonderful being at Waterside. Having qualified at the old Park Campus, to come back and be on ‘t’other side’, so to speak, is just great.

“I’m very much a nature person so the environment here, the greenery and the open space, really suits me. I also love all of the little nooks and crannies around the buildings, the spaces dotted around campus where you can sit down, settle and work or just meet up and chat.”

Given Christine’s long-standing experience supporting social care and social work during her 13 years at Skills for Care, she feels her students will get up to date advice from her: “I’m bringing with me a lot of current knowledge about the sector because I have literally just been out there. I also have very strong links with employers and know what they want from their workforce.

“We already have a great team here at the University, so I can only add to their wealth of expertise and get students fitter for work.

“People might not realise this, but there are no end of roles in social care, in different settings and there are always new ones coming online so I really want to impress on our students the plethora of professional pathways available to them.”

Two of Christine Collymore’s photos.

Outside of work, Christine is a keen amateur photographer and has had her work exhibited: “It was only in a local village hall for a health and wellbeing event, but I did feel very proud seeing my efforts up on a wall!”

She also has a famous, political family connection- possibly! “My Mum is Grenadian. According to her, we are related to the Civil Rights Campaigner Malcolm X. I don’t know the truth of that claim as I’ve never looked into it, but it’s a good story anyway!”