Aligned with the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan's commitment to expanding apprenticeships, Evie's story highlights the benefits apprenticeships offer, not just for young individuals like her, but for the broader development of healthcare professionals.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and Apprenticeship Expansion:
Published in June 2023, the latest NHS Long Term Workforce Plani marks a strategic shift in healthcare training. One key focus for workforce planning and training the next generation of healthcare professionals is through the expansion of apprenticeships to attract more people into healthcare careers. The aim is to increase apprenticeships and widen access to opportunities for people from all backgrounds and in underserved areas to join the NHS.
The NHS has set a target of providing 22% of all training for clinical staff through apprenticeship routes by 2031/32, up from just 7% today, a figure that will ensure the NHS can train enough staff in the right roles.
With a substantial increase in the use of apprenticeships to train health professionals, it is clear apprenticeships are being seen as a leading light in addressing workforce challenges and fostering the growth of skilled professionals.
Evie's Journey:
Kettering General Hospital (KGH) recognises the importance of apprenticeships in addressing workforce challenges. The Trust has a robust recruitment and selection process for all staff that want to join the organisation including apprentices.
It has recently welcomed a new cohort of healthcare assistant apprentices who successfully applied. They will train with the Trust for the next 18 months before becoming qualified healthcare assistants on the wards.
Staff at KGH provide a positive and supportive learning environment for the apprentices, enabling them to learn all the fundamentals of the role before they are qualified to contribute to patient care in a meaningful way.
One apprentice benefitting from the programme is Evie Fotheringham. She was introduced to the healthcare assistant apprenticeship at Kettering Hospital through a family friend, and was drawn to its practical approach, combining on-the-job training with classroom learning.
Since a very young age, Evie knew she wanted to pursue a career in the NHS. She wanted a job that would enable her to help others and work with her local community.
Evie has dyslexia and comments: “I knew that college wasn’t really for me as I prefer a more structured way of learning. Even though there is some classroom work in the first few weeks, we spend a lot of time on the wards with the patients helping them with daily activities. This is the best way for me to learn.”
After Evie finishes her 18-month course which will give her a Healthcare Assistant Diploma and Care certificate, she aspires to join the Nurse Associate programme, followed by the Qualified Nurse course. After spending some time in the maternity ward, her ultimate long term dream is to become a midwife, which currently she would need to go to university to do.
Evie says: “I absolutely love the course and the people I have met. Already I know they will be lifelong friends. It is a great way to learn and earn at the same time too. This the best decision I have made and I’m so excited to be here doing this apprenticeship which will set me up on my nursing career path..”
Apprenticeships enable people who may not have achieved their anticipated grades for university or who prefer on-the-job learning and don’t want to be saddled with student debt a clear career pathway into the NHS. Also, for school leavers like Evie, they are a way into a healthcare career straight from school.
Apprenticeships at Kettering General Hospital, such as the one Evie is undertaking, not only address immediate workforce needs but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of the healthcare sector. By nurturing apprentices through structured programmes, KGH is ensuring the development of a skilled and diverse workforce capable of meeting the evolving demands of modern healthcare.
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Kettering General Hospital is part of the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ recruitment campaign. The campaign brings together the University of Northampton, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton General Hospital, Kettering General Hospital (KGH), St Andrew’s Healthcare and Northants GP and aims to recruit nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals to live and work in Northamptonshire. To find out about vacancies across Northamptonshire visit http://bestofbothworlds.uk.net/