There are various ways NHS Lothian can work to attract more local people into the workforce including through apprenticeship programmes, volunteering or other supported pathways into NHS Lothian jobs. More information on some of this can be found here – NHS Lothian Careers – Over 100 Careers: Just One Employer.
The anchors programme is supporting a number of different areas of work to encourage local people into the NHS Lothian workforce including making job opportunities more accessible through a more coordinated approach to recruitment within some directorates, using workforce planning data more effectively to understand the profile of the paid workforce and volunteers to inform the direction of travel and working closely with our Local Employability Partnerships to support people into NHS employment opportunities.
Modern apprenticeship case study:
Below we introduce you to Daisy, a successful Apprentice Medical Secretary who was accepted into the programme 12 months ago.
“I initially saw an application for an Apprentice Medical Secretary, advertised by the Youth Network and I decided to apply. Having applied, I had to wait a few weeks before I heard I was invited to an interview. The interview process was quite intense! To start off with there was a telephone interview, then two video calls and finally a face-to-face interview. It was after these I heard I had been successful and was offered the position. My first two weeks consisted of being taken through a very informative induction course, featuring online training and job specific in-person scenarios at various Lothian hospital locations. After the induction, I joined the Colorectal Medical Secretary team. I am currently a secretary to one Consultant, who has been fantastic to work with. She has been very accepting of the fact that I was a new secretary, and has been incredibly supportive. I have had the opportunity to develop a wide variety of skills, such as minute taking and Microsoft 365 software. This has allowed me to recently take on more responsibility within the department, by learning about and participating in the WGH Site Huddle. This has really helped me develop my skills in excel when I am inputting data, it also helps develop my understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of the department. Throughout my apprenticeship I have had the opportunity to go on many development courses. This included the leadership course, which is designed to help develop my leadership skills. Completing this apprenticeship grants me national registered qualifications, such as SVQ level 3 business and admin. It also gives me the opportunity to develop highly transferable skills, which will assist me throughout my career. As my apprenticeship draws to an end, I look forward to continuing my career within my department and the NHS.”
