The new report, jointly published by the NHS confederation and the Independent Commission on the College of the Future, focuses on how colleges can help support an expanding NHS workforce. As technology advances, new skills and talent are needed and colleges are key to helping address this.
Included in the report is a case study from London South East Colleges about its pioneering FE Immersion visits. This initiative saw civil servants from the Department for Education invited into the college to gain direct experience of what learning in a college looks like - which is something that could support engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care going forward.
Welcoming the report, Dr Sam Parrett OBE, CEO and Principal of London South East Colleges, says: “This is an important piece of work and we are delighted to have been involved in its development. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on all industries, but has certainly highlighted the pressures on the NHS and the challenges going forward to meet skills needs.
“As a college, we understand our important role in this challenge. There has been a marked increase in enrolments for health and social care courses across our campuses this year. This reflects the interest and passion for careers in healthcare and we need to work with the NHS to harness this over the coming years.
“We work closely with a range of employer partners in many industries to support their skills needs – playing an important civic role within the local, regional and national economy. We look forward to building further links and playing our part in the drive to strengthen the NHS and indeed, other industries.”
As part of London South East Colleges’ drive to promote careers in healthcare, a virtual Landmark Lecture is being held later this month - featuring guest speaker, Matthew Trainer, CEO of the Oxleas NHS Trust. In March 2020, Matthew helped to run the NHS Nightingale Hospital as part of the efforts to deal with the impact of Covid-19. He will be speaking about his own career journey and the many opportunities available in the NHS – as well as discussing some of the leadership challenges he faced and how these were dealt with.
London South East Colleges offers many qualifications and courses in health and social care aimed at young people and adults who want to launch a career in the sector or retrain.
Related news: College puts on extra courses to meet post-Covid 19 skills demand
SN