The Department of Health has commissioned an national initiative to make £2.4m available for dementia support workers to complete accredited qualifications.
Skills for Care will raise the funding through the Workforce Development Dementia Fund and will be open to all adult social care employers who support people with dementia, whether in the early stages of the illness following diagnosis, or at a later stage.
Care services minister Paul Burstow said: "Achieving high quality care for people with dementia is central to the ambitions we have set out in the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia.
"Ensuring staff have a thorough understanding of the disease is key to making this happen. Through this fund staff will be able to develop skills which will make a real difference to the care and support they give to people with dementia and their carers."
Sharon Allen, chief executive at Skills for Care, urged all employers who think they might qualify to apply.
