HOSPITALS are planning to help almost 100 local people into work by offering apprenticeships in a number of different departments.
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has announced an expansion of its on-the-job training scheme, which already employs 22 apprentices.
The trust's Apprenticeship Strategy will create 90 clinical and non-clinical roles at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, in Cottingham, over the next three years.
Ian Moore, recruitment manager for the trust, says although the apprenticeships are open to people of all ages, they were partly designed with school- leavers and young people in mind.
He said: "The rate of youth unemployment in Hull is one of the highest in the country and we wanted to see if there was something we could do about it.
"We also wanted to create alternative routes for young people who don't want to go to university.
"The truth of the matter is, not everyone wants to go to university and not everyone has the capacity to go to university."
The current apprentices are combining their hands-on experience in the workplace with NVQ qualifications in their chosen field.
Sarah Barley, one of the first people to be given an apprenticeship, joined the scheme last summer and now has a permanent job with the trust.
She said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed the apprenticeship and would strongly advise that people of any age look at going down the apprenticeship route.
"It is a great experience and helps you get a foot in the door for other positions."
Initially, the trust only offered apprenticeships for roles in administration and business, but Mr Moore says the success of the scheme so far has encouraged them to expand it to other areas of the NHS.
He said: "We started off small because we wanted to make sure we did it properly, but the scheme has taken off in a way we could never imagine.
"We now have a whole range of apprenticeships available in a wide variety of jobs and departments.
"We are expanding apprenticeships to areas with increased clinical skills, such as mortuary assistants and pharmacy."
Mr Moore says there are a lot of advantages to working with apprentices but he was keen to stress that the scheme is not about saving money for the trust.
He said: "We made it quite clear from the start that this scheme should not be seen as a cost-saving measure."
"Apprentices require a lot of extra training and are given time off to study towards their NVQs."
"We don't see it as an opportunity to cut costs, we see this as an investment for the future."
"It's like the pebble in the pond – you can start to see the ripples. It's nice to be able to make a difference."
Anyone who would like to find out more about the apprenticeships should contact the Trust on 01482 675184.