Hospitals and College team up to "home grow" local NHS workforce

WARRINGTON and Halton Hospitals and Warrington & Vale Royal College have teamed up signalling a commitment to ‘home grow’ the local NHS workforce of the future.

Hospital Chief Executive Mel Pickup and College Principal Nicola Newton have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cement the new partnership.

The Trust’s relationship with the college is the latest in a number of academic partnerships with universities, colleges and schools across the region and is intended to promote initiatives and opportunities for developing the employability skills of and opportunities for college learners and apprentices.

Speaking at the formal signing of the MoU, the Trust’s Chief Executive Mel Pickup said: “We have launched our new strategy ‘Becoming an Outstanding organisation for our patients, our communities and our staff’ and have committed to being an employer of choice with a specific ‘People’ pledge that states ‘We will be the best place to work with a diverse, engaged workforce that is fit for the future’.

“This MoU is an important step in ensuring that we can access and develop local talent required for our future workforce. We offer so many apprenticeship, volunteering and job opportunities that are both clinical and non-clinical – there really is something for everyone as part of our team.”

Key to the partnership is the focus on learners’ experiences in the workplace and the potential employment pipeline into the Trust. Together the MoU sets out how the parties will work on:

• Improving the skills of the workforce so more people can access jobs from the local population
• Giving those without the right skills a second chance to get job ready skills
• Building on the successful apprenticeship hub and work with businesses to develop higher skilled apprenticeships
• Concentrating on supporting graduate level jobs to attract the highest skilled workers
• Enabling school leavers to get the qualifications they need to access and create the jobs of the future.

Warrington &Vale Royal Principal and CEO Nichola Newton said: “Our partnership will develop opportunities that will meet the needs of learners on a range of programmes, enabling them to participate in high quality and realistic work place experiences, including apprenticeships, traineeships and supported internships.

“The College will ensure that learners are prepared for work place experience through promoting the high expectations of the Trust ensuring that our local NHS has committed and motivated learners in the work place, who could be considered viable candidates for future employment within the Trust on successful completion of their study.

Cementing the relationship the College joins the Trust’s Council of Governors as a partner governor and similarly the Trust’s Director of HR and Organisation Development Michelle Cloney joins Warrington & Vale Royal College’s Governing Body.