Competition aims to inspire young people to consider an NHS career

The 2021/22 Step into the NHS competition, run by Health Education England (HEE), is now open for entries from young people in primary and secondary schools across England.

Harry Jamil, a pupil from Bury and Whitefield Jewish Primary School in Greater Manchester, and Ana Aslam, who attends Herschel Grammar

School in Slough, were last year’s national winners of HEE’s Step into the NHS competition.

The Step into the NHS competitions provide teaching resources which aim to inspire young people and raise awareness of over 350 career opportunities in the NHS, as well as provide the chance to win great prizes along the way.

To enter the competition, primary school pupils are asked to create a ‘thank you’ presentation to the NHS, that shows an understanding of NHS careers and challenges gender stereotyping.

Secondary school students are tasked with researching an NHS role of their choice and creating a fun and lively job advertisement that appeals to their peers.

Harry, 10, wowed judges with his catchy ‘thank you’ song for the NHS, performed to the tune of the traditional Wellerman sea shanty song.

He beat competition from 96 primary schools across the country, with a total of 7,800 pupils taking part.

Harry, national winner said: “I really enjoyed taking part because I had lots of fun writing about the different jobs in the NHS; not just the doctors and nurses but all the other important jobs too, like the porters and chefs.”

Ana Aslam, 12, amazed the judges with a job advert showcasing the role of biomedical scientist.

Ana also performed a ventriloquist act with her puppet Katie.

Ana, national winner said: “It was unbelievable and the most unforgettable day of my life when I found out that I was the Step into the NHS competition’s national winner in 2021.

“I chose the role of biomedical scientist because they are at the heart of medical breakthroughs in healthcare.

“I decided to use my ventriloquism skills with Katie (my puppet) to make my advert as unique and entertaining as possible.”

Ana’s submission beat entries from 134 secondary schools, with an estimated 18,000 taking part in the competition.

Navina Evans, Chief Executive Health Education England said: "Last year’s submissions were creative, fun and inspirational, therefore I am excited to kickstart the 2021/22 Step into the NHS competition.

“I would like to congratulate the overall winners Harry and Ana, and all the students who took part.

“It is fantastic to see so many young people showing an interest in careers in the NHS.

“I can’t wait to see what our contestants create in next year’s contest; I already know the competition will be tough.

“Good luck to all our 2021/22 entries.”

Developed in partnership with teachers, the Step Into The NHS website (www.stepintothenhs.nhs.uk) includes a careers quiz, real-life stories from NHS staff, work experience tips and learning resources to help young people explore the hundreds of roles within the NHS:

For details of all the career opportunities the NHS can offer, visit healthcareers.nhs.uk

‘It is fantastic to see so many young people showing an interest in careers in the NHS’