Trust trainees take chance to increase skills
STOCKPORT NHS Foundation Trust used National Apprenticeship Week as an opportunity to help people with their ‘skills for life.’
Learning and Education staff at the trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and community NHS services in Stockport, are running a series of online seminars on the year’s theme of ‘skills for life,’ focussing on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.
There are currently over 150 apprentices working at the trust, in areas including clinical healthcare support, business administration, catering and cleaning.
The apprenticeships range from a Level 2 (GCSE) Apprenticeship to a Level 7 (Masters)
Apprenticeship and are available in both the hospital and the community.
There are also those at the trust working on their T-Levels, technical-based qualifications in a variety of areas.
The trust works with a number of partner organisations for its apprenticeship schemes, including University of
Manchester, University of Salford, University of Bolton, Sheffield Hallam University, Manchester Metropolitan University, DAMAR training, QA Ltd, Bury College and HIT training.
T-Levels are run in partnership with the Trafford and Stockport College Group, Manchester College Group and Macclesfield
College. One student who took advantage of the apprenticeship scheme is 19-year-old Sam Siddall.
He joined the trust as an apprentice aged 18 in the procurement department which organises the purchasing and acquisition of the goods, services and works which ensures the ongoing provision of care in the hospital and community services.
Sam has since passed his apprenticeship with distinction and has now taken on a permanent position of procurement assistant at the trust.
He is looking forward to the opportunity for further education courses or apprenticeships to help develop his skills with the opportunity to progress further within the department.
Sam said “I really wanted to do a job where I could be helping others, and since joining the team
I’ve been surrounded by some of the nicest people you could ever meet!
“Everyone was very supportive, I was always given sufficient time for my apprentice work as it was ‘on the job’ learning.
“The team always assured me I had at least a day a week dedicated to my apprentice work when my tasks were given for the week.
“Doing an apprenticeship for an NHS trust is a great idea as there are loads of opportunities for when it comes to an end salary for an NHS apprentice is very good compared to other areas.”
Another student who took on an apprenticeship was 27-year-old Beth Glass. She found an apprenticeship as a pharmacy dispensing assistant in a community pharmacy back when she left school in 2015.
She later started to work at Warrington Hospital as a pharmacy assistant, but also wanted to further her career and become a pharmacy technician and so applied for the apprentice role of ‘pre-registration pharmacy technician’ at Stepping Hill Hospital.
Beth found the pharmacy department a very supportive environment for her training and successfully completed the apprenticeship to become a full pharmacy technician, in which capacity she is continuing to work at the hospital.
Beth said “I loved the fact that I was learning whilst on the job.
“Each moment I passed an assignment was a real memorable moment for me.
“The support I received really helped me to achieve my final goal, and my training could not have been better. I feel that the support given to me was vital in me passing my course, and I hope to offer fellow apprentices this type of support in the future.”
Kaymo Jammeh, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust learning and education manager said “We run apprenticeships in a wide variety of different areas both in the hospital and the community, with roles in procurement, finance, admin and catering alongside healthcare roles such as nursing and pharmacy. Each one goes towards helping us carrying out the care that we provide. We’re proud to provide apprenticeships which provide you with skills for life while earning while you learn.”
If you would like to find out more contact the apprenticeship team on apprenticeships@ stockport.nhs.uk