Nevertoo late to be a nurse

The pandemic has shaken up the job market like never before, so we’re starting a new section about people who have changed careers, been given a hand up, or organisations who are investing in people. Today we hear about a new initiative by bread giant Kingsmill to fund nurses…

A brand new training scheme from Kingsmill looks like the best thing since sliced bread.

And it means Louise Brown, 42, will land her dream job and join the NHS to help in its recovery from Covid-19.

Funded by the bakery to study nursing at Derby University, the doctor’s surgery assistant in Uttoxeter, Staffs, can’t wait to start training.

A public-spirited collaboration between Health Education England, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and British food and drink companies, means Kingsmill will be funding seven new nurses for the community in Stoke.

Louise, a mum of two boys, aged 10 and eight, will attend university once a week alongside on-the-job training. She will help to

deliver more services in local GP surgeries, and when she graduates in March 2023, she will become a fully-fledged NHS worker.

Louise says: “I feel so lucky to be benefiting from this scheme which is a clever way of moving existing funding around the system so that we can get more nurses on the ground.

“I had a place at uni some years ago and I put it on the back burner to be with my boys, but I feel even more passionate about doing the training now.

“We have all seen just how much people need the NHS, and I am very grateful to Kingsmill for helping me to be a part of it.”

■ If you’re offering retraining, apprenticeships or work placements for the young or old, get in touch at siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk

IN TRAINING Mum Louise