Meet Taleena

Taleena has always been drawn to caring jobs - working as a dental nurse, a healthcare assistant, and a team leader in a care home before levelling up her career with ECL. As Lead Manager at the Learning Disabilities Day Centre in Colchester she’s thriving - flexing her managerial muscles in a rewarding role while raising a young family…

I’m building a successful career in a sector I love

Colchester local Taleena is passionate about helping people. Since finishing school she’s earned a social care qualification and gained hands-on experience in a range of care jobs – spending time as a trainee dental nurse, a healthcare assistant in a private hospital, and a team supervisor in a residential home for the elderly. A natural-born leader, she worked hard to achieve her Level 5 accreditation in Leadership and Management before moving into a part-time role so she could focus on raising her first child.

“As my daughter got older, I decided I wanted to get stuck back into a full-time job that put my management training to good use while allowing me the space to raise my family,” says Taleena. “I was keen to move on from elderly care and saw an advert for a job with ECL’s Learning Disabilities service that sounded interesting – it was close to home, the hours were perfect, and I’d have the chance to develop my leadership skills, so I went for it!”

Her experience and enthusiasm shone through in her online interview and Taleena was offered the Service Manager position at ECL Colchester soon after. Taleena says, “From the very beginning, the team was so welcoming and my line manager was fantastic. I learned a lot from her, and she gave me the confidence to pursue a promotion when the opportunity arose. I’m thankful she did as I’m now Lead Manager and building a successful career in a sector I love.”

Having experienced a cross-section of jobs in care, Taleena knows how important it is that employees feel valued for the vital services they provide. She says, “ECL excels at showing staff how much they’re appreciated. The company has many schemes in place to recognise outstanding individual contributions, like performance-linked rewards and the ‘Star of the Month’ initiative, but leadership also show compassion and flexibility when people are struggling. It’s a great place to work.”

Whether it be supporting her team or her customers, Taleena’s top priority is always to help others achieve their potential. She says, “I’m lucky enough to be involved in every stage of the customer journey – from visiting them in their own homes or school settings and guiding them through the process of joining us at ECL, to seeing the positive change my team’s support makes in their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I can’t think of a more rewarding job.”

If Taleena has inspired you to learn more about a career in care, visit ECL’s careers page and start your journey today.