28 April 2022
We have been celebrating apprenticeships and recognising their importance to our future workforce.
Our second Apprenticeships Conference with partners from Frimley ICS, took place at Ascot Racecourse on Tuesday with about 140 people attending.
It was a welcome return for the conference, which couldn’t be held in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic.
Director of People Matt Joint welcomed apprentices, students, Trust managers, department leads and health and education partners to the event, which was themed ‘Building for the Future’.
Morning speakers covered topics such as Anchor Institutions, quality apprenticeships, learning skills for life, developing the healthcare science workforce, and the South-East Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.
In the afternoon, the focus turned to building our future workforce. Some of our apprentices shared their experiences while work experience, supported internships and T levels were also discussed.
Later, breakout sessions looked at end point assessments, off-the-job learning and national numeracy.
The day ended with a celebration of Frimley Health and Frimley ICS staff who have completed apprenticeships within the last year as well as some of those still on their apprenticeship journey.
We currently have 243 apprentices working across the Trust in 26 different roles ranging from midwifery and healthcare support through to business administration, early years education and catering.
Carys Colborne is currently studying for her Business Administration level 3 apprenticeship. She said: "I had never considered doing an apprenticeship before joining Frimley Health. It was only when it was discussed in my job interview that I realised that there was an opportunity to further my education alongside my work.
"Frimley Health have been so supportive in helping me with my apprenticeship and for me it's the perfect blend of on-the-job experience and focused learning."
Nikki Morgan, learning and development manager and apprenticeship lead at Frimley Health, said: “As a Trust, we are committed to supporting our staff – and one of the ways we can do that is by providing apprenticeships.
“The role of apprenticeships has never been more important in addressing skills shortages. Furthermore, they support people to thrive in their careers and be competent in their roles. Apprentices bring new vision, new thinking and creativity, they are our future workforce.
“They help you to earn while you learn and gain valuable skills and experience in your role. You can even gain a nationally-recognised qualification.”
To find out more about apprenticeships at Frimley Health email fhft.learningandod@nhs.net.