Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) are leading a new project of work alongside Health Education England (HEE), establishing a new Health and Care Academy to encourage young people to consider a career in health care.
Health and care academies are being rolled out across England by HEE, with the East of England leading the early schemes.
The academies will look to give young people the chance to meet and engage with experienced health and care professionals, giving valuable insight into the many and varied careers available within the NHS and social care.
EPUT is working at the forefront of the first programme in Essex, involving 20 students aged 16 to 18 studying for a health and care diploma at Colchester Institute. Utilising a series of virtual sessions, the students will be able to ask health and care workers questions directly about their roles and the career opportunities available when they leave college, including apprenticeship routes.
Anthea Hockly, Associate Director of Workforce Development and Learning at EPUT, said: “EPUT is pleased to be leading on the delivery of the first programme of the Health and Care Academy.
“There is a vast array of career opportunities on offer in health and social care, from nurse to IT specialist. The aim of this programme is to highlight some of those roles and help students already on the path to a career in health and care, plan their next steps.”
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Some of the careers set to be highlighted include midwifery, psychiatry, mental health nursing, learning disability nursing, paediatrics and allied health professionals.
However, there is also a focus set to be made on non-clinical roles such as estates management.
A number of other partners involved in the region’s health and care sector are involved in the new academy to including East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, Essex County Council, Anglia Ruskin University and North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.
The programme is hoped to be able to be launched more widely among Essex later this year, with HEE also looking to begin a wider national rollout of health and care academies in the coming months and years.
