You’re hired! New Leeds health and social care apprenticeships offer bright opportunities

Eight lucky individuals will take part in a new scheme as Leeds health and social care partners take on new apprentices of all ages to work in a variety of jobs across Leeds.

Partners involved in the scheme are Leeds Community Healthcare, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds City Council, Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice, Barnsley College and Leeds clinical commissioning groups.

The new recruits got a warm welcome at the launch event from the chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, Councillor Lisa Mulherin, who was joined by employers and health and care partners to celebrate the new scheme.

The apprentices are expected to be offered permanent roles as health and social care support workers on completion of their apprenticeship. This opportunity will enable each apprentice to work as part of a team providing practical, personal care and rehabilitation support and has been developed by partners working together to transform the city wide health and social care workforce. As part of the programme, each apprenticeship will have the opportunity to undertake either a Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care or Clinical support and experience of learning opportunities hosted by city partners.

Councillor Lisa Mulherin said:

"I’m delighted to see our first integrated health and social care apprenticeship scheme in the city get off to a flying start. This project will develop a flexible workforce of the future who can provide care that focusses on people’s needs drawing on the best practice.

“Earlier this year the council signed up to UNISON's Ethical Care Charter and this is further evidence of our commitment to building a skilled workforce in the city even though we face such tough financial challenges. We know good care provision is more likely with good training and appropriate terms and conditions for staff, so as we aim for Leeds to be a healthy and compassionate city for all ages, this is a positive step to getting people into work. It also shows we are committed as a council to having an inclusive and flexible workforce."

Shaun Cale is a recent apprentice who now has a job as a senior administrator. He said:

“I found an apprenticeship worked really well for me. I didn’t think going to college would be the right thing for me, so I took the chance to get an apprenticeship. It gave me the opportunity to develop lots of skills, experience working in a big organisation and then be really well placed when a job came up. I could show I had the skills needed and I hope the new apprentices get on as well as me.”

Kelly Dilucia is one of the Leeds City Council apprentices. She said:

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what I can learn and how I can develop my skills over the coming year. The job market isn’t easy and this is a great opportunity for me. It has been lovely to get to know the other apprentices and hear from all the different employers. And I’m glad we haven’t got Sir Alan Sugar ready to tell us we’re fired waiting around the corner!”

Notes to editors

For more details about the Leeds Apprenticeships Hub go to: http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Becominganapprentice.aspx

At the welcome event on 20^th November the new apprentices met all partner organisations in the scheme at the Integrated Health and Social Care Apprenticeship Scheme launch event at Leeds Civic Hall.