The Health and Social Care Secretary has announced £20 million funding to support 10,000 young people from all backgrounds to get a career in the NHS. This will be matched by £7 million from the Prince’s Trust.
The 3-year pre-employment programme will begin later this year and will involve up to 150 NHS trusts in England. Participants will gain basic skills and experience of working in the NHS. The programme will focus on helping those who otherwise may not have the opportunity to gain this experience to overcome barriers and enter sustainable employment.
The programme will provide:
- Job application support
- NHS trust work placements
- Courses in basic healthcare, literacy and numeracy skills
It is expected to help 5,000 young people get into the NHS through entry-level positions, with a further 5,000 joining through apprenticeships. Roles will include digital and business administration, healthcare assistant, facilities, catering and portering.
Fareham MP Suella Braverman said:
“The future of our NHS depends upon training the next generation of NHS workers, and this £20 million of funding will certainly help do that.
“It’s vital that expanding towns like Fareham have an NHS that can meet growing demand, and making sure that we have more hospital and NHS workers is an important step towards achieving that.”
The programme will be delivered by The Prince’s Trust and supported by Health Education England (HEE). HEE has already worked in partnership with The Prince’s Trust to run 250 pre-employment programmes, helping over 1,000 young people find work in healthcare across the country.
Nick Stace, UK Chief Executive, The Prince’s Trust, said:
"Each year, The Prince’s Trust supports thousands of young people across the country to develop the confidence and skills they need to get a job – with our ‘Get into Healthcare’ programme we help young people to take their first step into employment with the NHS.
"We are delighted that through this enhanced partnership we will give thousands more young people across the country exciting job opportunities. Placing young people into frontline roles at the heart of our National Health Service will empower them to realise their potential, kick start their careers and make a valuable contribution to our society.
"We believe that when young people succeed, our country succeeds and this is a great example of what that can mean in reality."
