As the UK continues to tackle Covid-19 alongside the rest of the world, the value of our National Health Service has never been clearer.
Now, a new report featuring Newcastle College says that further investment into further education colleges is needed, if the government is to stand any chance of delivering its recent promise to ‘level up’ the NHS.
‘Creating the Workforce of the Future’ was released earlier this month from The Independent Commission on the College of the Future and NHS Confederation, calling for a new partnership between colleges and NHS in England to tackle the health and care workforce crisis and boost local jobs.
It says that while colleges are already a vital education and training route for key workers in the health and care sectors, more strategic relationships are needed to maximise the routes.
Using Newcastle College’s collaborations with local NHS leaders as a working example, the report sets out new ideas to bring the NHS and colleges together to collaborate on training and to strengthen recruitment pipelines.
Scott Bullock, Principal of Newcastle College commented: “Collaboration with industry is at the heart of everything we offer, including our health and care courses.
“By working with local NHS providers, we were able to showcase the high standards of skills training we offer our students and receive expert input in return. This has helped us to support hundreds of students to pursue their vocations in vital health and care roles.
“Relationships with employers are absolutely key to understanding the challenges of an industry and ensuring we offer the highest standards of training. This report confirms that with government funding and support, colleges have an opportunity to strengthen their offers and create sustainable pathways into NHS careers.”
Read the full report at www.collegecommission.co.uk/nhs-workforce-future