The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) is shining a spotlight on its apprentices during National Apprentice Week (10-16 February).
It is celebrating and raising awareness about the diverse and wide variety of apprenticeship opportunities that are available at SaTH and the rest of the NHS.
The theme is ‘Skills for Life’. The week will reflect on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and help businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with skills for the future.
SaTH currently has 214 employees on apprenticeship programmes, which is a 29% increase since 2024. There are a range of apprenticeships in areas including accounting and finance, legal and associate project management.
Danielle Childs, Planning Manager and Get it Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme Coordinator has worked at SaTH for five and a half years. Her first role within the NHS was as a cleanliness technician on the wards, but with strong computing and administration skills, she is currently studying on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA), which, upon completion, will give her a BA Hons in Professional Management.
She said: “From having a varied range of roles in the Trust, the CMDA has enabled me to gain knowledge of different areas and perspectives and experience the ‘day-to-day’ very differently.
“The CMDA will complement this experience. It has been a positive journey and has taught me so much. It has complemented my knowledge and skills as a manager, such as from coaching and mentoring, to leading people and teams. Having the support from the Trust has made it possible to achieve a big milestone in my life and career.”
Genine Power started at SaTH in 2013 as an imaging assistant in the Radiology department and gained an NVQ in Health and Social Care whilst also attending a local college to gain her GCSE maths equivalent.
In 2019 she started a two-year foundation degree at Birmingham City University to become an apprentice assistant practitioner. This was followed by a six month bridging course with Cumbria University and then a twelve month top-up which covered the third year of an undergraduate degree, resulting in a BSc Honours Degree in Diagnostic Radiography, which she completed in June 2024.
She said: “When I left school, I never dreamt I’d have a degree, that I’d attend one university let alone two, I never dreamt that I’d graduate, but I have… twice!
“SaTH provided me access to both NVQ and maths providers, the apprenticeships in both the assistant practitioner course and the bridging course. The course fees were covered and I earned a wage whilst I was studying, they also allowed sufficient study time to gain these qualifications.
“Apprenticeships enable those with life responsibilities such as children and mortgages a chance to achieve goals that were previously unachievable.”
Rhia Boyode, Chief People Officer at SaTH, said: “Our apprentices are an important and valued part of our workforce. By taking on apprentices, we are futureproofing the NHS. Apprenticeships allow people to gain on-the-job experience, which lead to skilled and qualified teams.
“Apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for people to consider as a pathway into the NHS and to underpin their progression on their chosen career route within our organisation.”
Apprenticeship programmes accessed for our employees for the first time during the last year include Level 3 Multi-channel Marketing, Level 6 Enhanced Clinical Practice, and a Level 7 Solicitor.
Some of the apprenticeship opportunities available later this year may include Level 2 Healthcare Support Worker, Level 2 Pharmacy Assistant and Level 5 Nursing Associate.
Earlier in the month, a new apprenticeship for healthcare support workers was launched. Fifteen apprentices started their one-year course with an induction at the college, before heading to their placements at either the Princess Royal Hospital or Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
At SaTH, apprenticeships provide an opportunity to support local people of any age to begin and progress on their journey in the NHS, providing them with a career option they might otherwise not have had or have even considered.
Apprenticeship qualifications are available to support the development of both new and existing staff members and the Trust embraces this route to help people progress in their chosen career.
For further information about apprenticeships at SaTH please visit www.jobs.sath.nhs.uk/find-job/apprenticeships or call Judith Tudor, Talent and Succession Manager, on 01952 641222 ext 2956 (email: judithc.tudor@nhs.net). You can also set up an alert for when vacancies are advertised throughout the year.
Keep an eye on SaTH’s social media accounts this week too (twitter – @sathNHS , Facebook – @ShrewsburyandTelfordNHS, Insta – @sathnhs) to see some of those who have taken up apprenticeship opportunities with the Trust.