In August, health and care training specialist, Impact Futures Group, accelerated its growth with the acquisition of Captiva Learning and its established brands The National College of Education, The National Centre for Leadership and Management, and Premier Pathways.
Following this milestone move, the operator has today announced its rebranding as Tend, and editor, Jo Makosinski, caught up with chief executive, Simon Rouse, to find out more about how this will help to support the care sector moving forward.
“Previously known as Impact Futures, and part of the wider Impact Futures Group, Tend is an apprenticeship training company, but we will also do other short courses and diploma-type training as well,” Rouse explains.
“And it is entirely focused on care – healthcare, adult social care, and pharmacy leadership and management.
“Our overall mission as an organisation is to give Britain the skills to care and we hope that being a ‘Tend-trained professional’ will be a badge of honour, with our trainees being proud of the skills and careers they are building.”
He added: “There are some enormous challenges in the sector and we understand them very well, so we wanted to make sure our brand really spoke to people.
“We want to be really clear that we are a specialist, and we really wanted to show how much we understand the challenges facing the sector.”
Central to these challenges are the ongoing struggles operators face with recruiting and retaining staff.
Rouse said: “These challenges aren’t new for the sector, but they are becoming more acute.
Our overall mission as an organisation is to give Britain the skills to care and we hope that being a ‘Tend-trained professional’ will be a badge of honour, with our trainees being proud of the skills and careers they are building
“We know that people come into the sector for mostly vocational reasons; they are people who want to be involved in care.
“And to attract and retain people we need to make it a career, which is what we are doing with our apprenticeships.
“We are giving people the skills to develop that career from a continuing professional development perspective and we think this is going to enable the sector to deal with what are ever-increasing challenges around recruitment.”
He added that, when people do apprenticeships, they tend to stay with their organisations for longer and progress further in their careers.
“We also understand that leadership is vital and creating a culture in organisations so that people want to stay is incredibly important, especially in an organisation which is caring for, and looking after, people,” he said.
“As part of our offer, we have got the ‘licence to operate’ qualifications that are needed, but underpinning that we are giving leaders and managers the skills they need to be able to lead their organisations and lead their people.
“As Tend we will be enabling people to understand the careers that they can build in care and the next steps in their personal and professional development journey.
“That’s why we talk about career building and skill building, because, for us, the apprenticeships are about building the career and the short courses and continuing professional development are taking it to the next stage.”
We are giving people the skills to develop that career from a continuing professional development perspective and we think this is going to enable the sector to deal with what are ever-increasing challenges around recruitment
At any one time, Tend will have around 4,000 apprentices going through its programmes, and hundreds more on its short courses, and Rouse says the care sector is taking advantage of the funding available.
“I would say of all the markets that we operate in, care is probably one of the main ones where operators totally get the importance of training,” he said.
“The benefit of the Apprenticeship Levy and the apprenticeship system is that employers can invest in their people and one of the things we do is to help operators access funding and we see big appetite for that.”
Tend’s services are offered via a range of methods, including online and in-person approaches.
Rouse said: “More training is done online now than it was pre-COVID, but workplace observation is still an important element of the learning journey, and we work hard to make sure every course is tailored to each person and the way they want to study.
“They get a coach who works with them and the only way you can really make sure that learning is having the impact you want is by observing and supporting people in the workplace as well.
“In the next few years I think we will see technology continue to develop, but I cannot see a world in which face-to-face engagement in the work setting will not be a part of the learning journey.”
The flexibility of the apprenticeship, and deployment of learning within my work, has enabled me to maximise the potential of studying
But, with technology advancement at the forefront of every sector, he predicts artificial intelligence will play a lesser role in care training.
He adds: “Yes AI is everywhere, but I find it hard to believe it is going to change the fundamental nature of this sector, which is people caring for people.
“Of course there are going to be processes, such as back-office tasks, which can be made more efficient, but the reason we at Tend talk about ‘giving Britain the skills to care’ is that it’s the people who make the difference.
“AI will offer the ability to tailor the learning journey even more than we do today, but there will always be a need for our coaches to interact with their learners as human beings and as individuals.
“I don’t see that changing.”
Gina Davies, deputy care manager at Home Instead in Brighton, started on her current career trajectory in adult care later in life.
However, thanks to a supportive employer, and Impact Future’s flexible apprenticeship training, she has never looked back and has built a meaningful and fulfilling career tending to the needs of adult patients while evolving both professionally and personally.
She said: “I had never done care work before, but saw the plight of carers on the news during the COVID-19 pandemic, and decided to give it a go.
“My job experience ranged from sales, to having two children’s shops in Florida, to running a dog rescue.
“I started working for Home Instead in Brighton in 2021 as a care professional and became senior care professional in 2022, and then field care supervisor in 2023.
“In 2025, I was promoted to deputy care manager and I found my niche in life and what I enjoy doing.”
Davies enrolled on the Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker training module with Impact Futures.
She said: “When I started as field care supervisor, my learning and development manager suggested I do the Level 3 in Health and Social Care.
“I completed the programme in January 2025 and was subsequently promoted to deputy care manager, and progression for me was to complete a Level 5.
“I’m currently going through the enrolment process.”
Advising other care workers considering training, she added: “My advice is to ask questions.
“Don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand something as the terminology can be a bit daunting at first.
“I had no idea what ‘off-the-job’ or ‘gateways’ were; but it does all make sense eventually.”
Yasmin Vines works for Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council as its engagement and volunteer manager.
She is completing a Level 5 Operational and Business Management Diploma through Tend, with the full support of her employer and colleagues.
She explains: “I’d worked for Knowsley Council a little over three months when the opportunity for some professional development came up.
“I had expressed in my interview that I’d like to explore taking a management programme to continue developing my skills and I’ve been supported in undertaking this further learning to compliment my role, which is great.
“I wanted to understand what being a manager involves and to aid in my self awareness, decision making, and to address my areas of weakness around financial and business planning.”
Commenting on the course, she adds: “The flexibility of the apprenticeship, and deployment of learning within my work, has enabled me to maximise the potential of studying.
The training I’ve received has been fantastic for aiding my understanding of the organisation I work for, the components that go into business and operational planning, and for my role as a manager and leader in inspiring others
“I’m doing the Level 5 Operational and Business Management Diploma and what I like is that I’m able to practically apply the theories we’ve learned into the workplace right away, and see meaningful impact from it.”
And now she is hoping to take what she has learned to help others.
She said: “I want to continue in my role, using my new skills to mentor aspiring leaders and managers.
“I see myself staying in this position long-term, but look at growing and expanding the team I work in to bring in new skills, aid the development of other staff members, and continue to use the skills I’ve been learning.”
She adds: “The training I’ve received has been fantastic for aiding my understanding of the organisation I work for, the components that go into business and operational planning, and for my role as a manager and leader in inspiring others.
“This programme offered a great mix of theory, self-directed study, group work, and reflective learning.
“Unlike other training, it allowed me to apply skills in practice, reinforcing my understanding in a valuable way.”
Adept Care Homes operates seven care homes across the Midlands, providing residential and dementia care in warm, welcoming, and compassionate settings.
The provider partnered with Impact Futures in a bid to upskill staff, enhance professional standards, and ensure continued positive care outcomes without incurring additional financial strain.
The team helped them to implement a Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker apprenticeship programme, specifically tailored to the needs of the organisation and its employees.
Not only would this ensure that all staff had access to leading-edge learning and accredited qualifications, but the business would also enjoy the advantages that come with government funding, tax relief schemes, and more – easing any burden of budgets.
And the outcomes have been both measurable and meaningful.
The Tend team is now assisting the group with further optimisation.
Click here for more information on Tend.