Halifax Academy students attend insights event to inspire young people into healthcare careers

On Wednesday, November 22, Ahead Partnership welcomed the young people to Brian Jackson House, Kirklees, inviting them to take part in an inspiring event with volunteers from NHS England, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions, FutureNHS and Locala CIC.

Designed to showcase the wide variety of jobs that are essential to support frontline healthcare workers, students from the Halifax Academy, North Huddersfield Trust School and Trinity Academy Bradford attended a non-clinical insights day which saw them complete a creative brief to design a hypothetical new community space within the Kirklees and Calderdale NHS Trust hospital grounds.

To start the day, the young people took part in a speed networking session, speaking to volunteers from partner organisations working in a variety of non-clinical roles, allowing them to gain insight into the wide range of roles providing operational support to the NHS including facilities and estates management, finance, IT, human resources and more.

To complete their creative task, the young people collaborated in groups, allocating roles within their teams, including project management, finance, facilities and marketing and working together to overcome challenges such as supply chain issues or cuts to project budgets. Each team then presented their concepts to volunteer judges in a “science fair” style exhibition.

Following the event, 100 per cent of the students involved said that it helped them to improve their awareness of the different roles in the health and care sectors. While before only 16 per cent of students reported their understanding of non-clinical roles as “good”, afterwards 95 per cent of students rated their understanding as either “good” or “excellent".

One Year nine student said: “I liked how we got to learn more about this line of work and all the different opportunities that come with it”.

Another said: “I enjoyed working together as a team to ensure that we were working to our highest potential.”

Georgina Johnson, programme manager at Ahead Partnership, expressed enthusiasm for the event, saying: "Healthcare is a key sector for the regional and local community, and this initiative allows young people to explore the diverse and crucial roles that support the NHS.

“We want to show them that whatever their interests, there's a thriving career waiting for them within the healthcare sector.

"It was fantastic to see the creativity and enthusiasm on display and we hope that the wider programme will help to broaden the perspectives of young people and encourage them to consider the wealth of opportunities that the sector offers."

The non-clinical insights day forms part of Ahead Partnership’s Kirklees and Calderdale Health and Care Careers Pathway, a programme established to highlight essential skills gaps in the sector and engage young people across the region in understanding how a future career in health and care could be suitable for them.

Steve Brennan, Kirklees Place Programme director at NHS West Yorkshire, emphasised the importance of the programme in addressing essential gaps in the health and care workforce.

He said: "This programme is a unique platform for students to interact with professionals, gaining valuable insights into the integral roles that support our doctors and nurses.

"It's about more than just creating awareness: it teaches valuable transferrable skills such as teamwork and public speaking, as well as nurturing a passion for the healthcare sector and showcasing the depth of opportunities available.”

The programme is supported by Kirklees NHS ICB, Health Education England, Locala CIC, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Kirklees College and the University of Huddersfield.

To find out more about Ahead Partnership, visit: https://www.aheadpartnership.org.uk/