Sunderland College is partnering with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, Ford Next Generation Learning and The Edge Foundation on a venture to ensure students are work-ready when they complete their studies.
Sunderland College is leading a partnership to bring education and employers closer together and develop the health and social care workforce of the future.
Alongside the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, Ford Next Generation Learning and The Edge Foundation, the college’s Health and Social Care Skills Academy ensures young people and adults have the skills and behaviours required to make them work-ready when they complete their studies.
Working closely with key employers and regional stakeholders South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust; Sunderland City Council; Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust; Home Group; Sunderland Care and Support; NHS Health Education England; All Together Better Sunderland; and Skills for Care, the Academy – launched in November 2020 – creates a 21st century curriculum offer that is aligned to the sectors’ current and future needs, drawing on decades of experience and expertise.
Peter Robertson, head of business development at Education Partnership North East, says: “We recognise that achieving qualifications is only part of the pathway to employment and that employers require so much more from their future workforces.
“The aim of the Academy is for the college to work closely with employers and for the college to develop a codesigned and co-delivered curriculum so that our students gain invaluable industry knowledge.
“Ideally, this will mean that employers have an identified ‘talent pool’ of work-ready students when recruiting staff in the coming years.
“The Academy will offer employers the opportunity to have a direct impact on the skills and behaviours of our further education students, adult learners and apprentices by helping shape our learning programmes so they reflect the needs of their sector.”
Regional employers, stakeholders and Sunderland College staff have formed an Academy Steering Board to provide a framework and establish ‘work streams’, such as co-designing and co-delivering courses, arranging guest speakers and masterclasses, introducing robust work experience and student mentoring programmes, as well as offering employer site visits and live projects.
Neil Willis, North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s education challenge regional lead, says: “We are delighted the partnership work with Sunderland College, Ford Next Generation Learning and Edge Foundation, as well as the effort and commitment of all stakeholders involved, is shaping the development of young people who have chosen health and social care as a career pathway.”
Fay Lane, talent for care relationship manager at Health Education England, continues: “Health Education England are proud to be supporting the Health and Social Care Academy of Excellence.
“The project is a key example of how college education partnerships at NHS ICS level can involve colleges in the workforce needs for the future; to ensure a sustainable, agile and innovative future health and care workforce.”
Gemma Taylor, workforce development and apprenticeship manager at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, says: “The trust is delighted to be part of the Academy, through working closely with the college we can ensure students gain the skills they need to develop a career in healthcare.
“Qualifications are important, but the Academy will also offer students the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in the sector so that when they complete their studies, they will be work ready.”
Gayle Hennessey, apprenticeship contract manager at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, adds: “Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust are very pleased to be working with the Health and Social Care Academy of Excellence.
“In working with organisations that adopt the same high level of excellence towards learning, we can promote opportunities for successful careers in the health sector when the students complete their studies.”
Sunderland College has a rich history of working with employers that dates back more than 150 years.
Recently, health and social care has become one of the college’s key sector areas, with more than 800 students and apprentices studying at Bede Campus or placed with many of the region’s largest employers.
Challenging the growing skills gap across the region, millions of pounds has been invested in state-of-the-art ‘Health Hubs’ at Sunderland College by parent group Education Partnership North East.
These are mirrored at Hartlepool Sixth Form and Northumberland College to ensure students gain vital skills and experience within professional working environments.