Skills for Life
This week marks National Apprenticeship Week across England. To celebrate we will showcase the impact apprenticeships have on the Trust, service users and communities and how they all benefit from apprenticeships with case studies from across the divisions.
BCHC offer many apprenticeship opportunities both clinical and non-clinical, all of which will give you training, new skills and a real ‘on the job’ experience while you gain a qualification.
Community Staff Nurse, Rebecca Whipps began her apprenticeship journey after finding out about the programme through her line manager. Wanting to be a nurse but not being able to afford to give up work to become a student, an apprenticeship gave Rebecca the perfect opportunity to achieve her dream while earning, learning, and gaining the essential skills needed for the role.
Rebecca’s nursing apprenticeship enabled her to balance her home, work, and education as she explains: “thanks to my apprenticeship I have achieved my dream of being a nurse and it has given me so much confidence to develop even further. I was able to work in a variety of different placements and I didn’t have to be in university five days a week which really suited me. I thoroughly enjoyed my apprenticeship and when I passed my final exam I was crying with excitement!
“My apprenticeship gave me a lot of experience which is helping me excel in current role and I would one hundred percent recommend the apprenticeship route, especially for mature students like myself who have a family as it works perfectly with family life.”
District Nurse Team Manager, Janet James joined the apprenticeship programme in 2022 as she had been doing her current job for several years and wanted to broaden her horizons.
Finding out about the programme through her line manager, Janet felt that it would give her different challenges, as she explains: “I felt I needed a change, but I wasn’t sure what, then I heard about my apprenticeship and thought it may give me new and different opportunities. As a customer services apprenticeship, I have been able to look at my role in a different way and it has helped me focus on my patients, colleagues, and employer in a different way.
“I would recommend an apprenticeship, mine has given me a new enthusiasm for my work and to do what I do, the best that I can. My apprenticeship course has a mix of apprentices with varying ages and different backgrounds, so everyone has valuable contribution to make, we all have fun, and everyone is so relaxed.”
Did you know?
- Anyone over the age of 16 in England can apply for an apprenticeship and achieve a qualification from GCSE to Degree levels.
- Apprenticeships support thousands of people without GCSEs to gain the literacy and numeracy skills necessary to progress onto higher paid employment.
- An apprenticeship can help you achieve your goals if you don’t want to become a full-time student.
- As an apprenticeship you will receive lots of support.
Visit the Institution for Apprenticeships and Technical Education for full list of approved Apprenticeships available.
For more information or advice, please email bchc.apprenticeships@nhs.net