A Midland hospital trust’s work initiatives for young people are helping local young people to start building their career in the NHS.
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust is running two projects, the Apprenticeship Scheme and Work Club, which have recently seen three of its Business and Administration apprentices thrive and become valuable members of staff within their Trust teams.
Anthony Williams (pictured above), 19, undertook his apprenticeship with the Trust in the X-ray Department at City Hospital, working on the reception front desk. He said: “During my apprenticeship I spoke to my managers about my growing interest in imaging and that I wanted to become an imaging department assistant, a role I had seen others carry out during my time in the department. I was lucky enough to be taken on as a Trainee Imaging Department Assistant and I am now pleased to be undertaking the department’s training programme to develop in my new role.”
Chloe Davidson (pictured left), 18, began her apprenticeship in the Trust’s X-ray Department at Sandwell Hospital, where she gained experience communicating with the public face-to-face. During her apprenticeship, Chloe moved to further her experience working in the Trust’s Community Contact Centre at Sandwell Hospital. On completion of her apprenticeship, Chloe has been successful in taking up a permanent role in the Contact Centre and continuing with her career pathway in the NHS. She said: “I really enjoyed working in the Contact Centre and feel that my experience on the apprenticeship scheme along with the help of the work club is what helped me secure my permanent role in the team.”
Libby Marshall, Work Club Co-ordinator at the Trust, said: “Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee our apprentices’ permanent jobs at the end of the scheme; they do have to go through the application process which does include competing with external candidates.
“However, this is where the work club can help. We do everything we can to help support our apprentices and members of the public with application forms, CVs and interview techniques to give them the confidence and skills to gain employment.”
Working as an apprentice in the Trust’s Patient Liaison Service at City Hospital, Lewis Tyson (pictured left), 17, staffed the front desk on a daily basis providing information to patients. He said: “My apprenticeship helped me to realise I really wanted a career in healthcare. I wanted to be able to use my experience of liaising with patients during my apprenticeship and that of helping care for my grandparents and turn it towards a role in a caring profession”.
Lewis has since gone on to secure a healthcare apprentice role, working on a ward at City Hospital following his sparked interest in the healthcare field.
Maxine Griffiths, Apprenticeship Co-ordinator, explained: “We are very proud to showcase the successes of our young apprentices. They have all worked extremely hard to secure their future careers at the Trust.”
She added: “If you feel you have a positive contribution to make to the work of the NHS, please contact the Learning Works on 0121 507 5886 to find out more, or visit the National Apprenticeship website at www.apprenticeships.org.uk for our current vacancies. Alternatively, come and visit us at Unett Street in Smethwick.”
The Learning Works, which runs the Apprenticeship Scheme and Work Club, is also a finalist in the upcoming Health Service Journal awards in the Workforce category for creating a dedicated centre in Smethwick. This is to help the local community access employment opportunities in the NHS.
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