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Health programme provides skills to work in the NHS.

The Skills for Health Academy North West Programme – Advance into Healthcare, works in partnership with Furness College, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and Job Centreplus to help deliver the scheme.

The programme provides students with a greater understanding of the wide variety of occupations in health and social care, and within the programme guest speakers are invited to explain their roles, including the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS).

NWAS sector manager for Morecambe Bay, Rick Shaw, attended the course and advised students on career opportunities within the ambulance service.

Denise Robinson was previously a secretary and also had her own secretarial business. After having children she qualified as a teaching assistant and worked in schools throughout Furness. She was made redundant and attended the course so she could get back into a secretarial role in the NHS.

She said she was thoroughly enjoying the course and found Mr Shaw’s presentation very informative.

Siobhan Lines worked in retail, but realised she loved working with children and is keen to look at a career as a paediatric nurse. Next year she will study on the Access course at Furness College which will give her the qualifications to study children’s nursing at university. She is enjoying the programme which will provide her with the skills and a
work-based learning placement as a healthcare assistant at Furness General Hospital and the experience of what the nursing role involves.

This is the third health cohort programme and it has involved previous students also achieving a range of accredited courses in manual handling, first aid and food hygiene.

Lynne McCracken, lead assessor for health and social care at Furness Training, is impressed with the quality of applicants and said: “We have trained a variety of students from a range of backgrounds, all of whom are keen to gain employment in the NHS. This programme offers them a positive route back into employment and as well as providing the relevant skills, it helps to rebuild confidence for entrance back into the work place.”

The pre-employment programme is 14 weeks long and is delivered through the health and social care team at Furness Training, the business development arm of Furness College. It involves attending Furness College for two days a week for four weeks, with the other ten weeks on a work-based learning placement at Furness General Hospital, either as a healthcare assistant or an administration assistant where the students are regularly assessed and supported by Jo Kendall, pre-employment co-ordinator for Cumbria.