Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust gains gold award for 
career opportunities

CAREER progression, mentoring and training support are just some of the features that make Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) a great place to develop your healthcare career – and the trust has won a gold award to prove it.

The trust offers excellent openings into healthcare through work experience or apprenticeship; it also supports development through training opportunities – and the gold award is recognition of this.

The Harlow-based NHS trust was awarded the top gold rating in the Work Experience Quality Standard by Fair Train, a national organisation which champions high quality work based learning throughout the UK. Fair Train’s Work Experience Quality Standard is a widely and highly respected kite-mark. The trust has now received its certificate and engraved glass trophy, which is now being displayed to demonstrate its commitment to developing talent.

Work experience is available at PAHT for students aged 14 and over but the award does not only apply to work experience. It is recognition of the trust’s work- based learning which includes work experience, study programmes, traineeships, internships, volunteering for increased employability and apprenticeships.

To attain the award, PAHT underwent a rigorous assessment procedure to show that it offers opportunities of the highest standard. It had to complete an initial self-assessment followed by a detailed assessment and supporting documentation together with other evidence which led to the Gold Level accreditation.

The trust had produced a range of materials to support career openings for people. These included a work experience toolkit, which sets out guidance and outlines the process to make it easier for managers to arrange placements. Last year more than 180 work experience placements were offered to young people who were living or studying at schools and colleges in the local area.

The Fair Train commendation said PAHT provided excellent and detailed self-assessment and evidence, and praised it on its documentation, including its work experience policy documents and review process, as well as the work experience toolkit. It said the process demonstrated the trust’s commitment to all-round feedback, and “provided a very clear and succinct overview of the procedures it has in place to ensure that all departments offering work placements do so at a high standard and with consistency”.

Feedback from participating schools and students in the scheme is very positive.

A year 12 pupil from St Mark’s West Essex Catholic School in Harlow said: “Doing work experience at Princess Alexandra Hospital gave me the confidence and mind-set that allowed me to develop. I worked in administration and research and development. It was truly a blessing and I am so glad to have worked alongside such lovely and understanding people who chose to give challenging work to help my growth whilst also keeping the work environment calm and relaxing for a newcomer. It was really a pleasure.”

This was echoed by a careers advisor at the school: “Princess Alexandra Hospital consistently provides high value work experience placements to our pupils that exceed all expectations. Communication with staff during the early stages of finding the placement is excellent and timely. The pupils are provided with a genuine all round understanding of the hospital setting whilst gaining in-depth focus on their choice of career path.

Year 10 work experience activity is monitored and a visit carried out during the placement, by a teaching member of staff, who always reports back on the structured way in which the placements are arranged and are genuinely delighted to see our pupils given such responsibility. The pupils return from their work experience and routinely provide excellent feedback. Such an opportunity, for the pupils to learn about the world of work in such a caring supportive environment, is invaluable.’

Martin Smith, associate director of training, education and development at PAHT said: “Achieving the gold standard is recognition of all the commitment and hard work we have invested as a trust in finding, supporting and nurturing local young people to become our future NHS workforce”.

Rod Natkiel, Fair Train’s CEO, said: “It’s great to welcome The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust into ‘the Fair Train family’ and to be able to accredit it at Gold, our top level. Workforce development is crucially important to any organisation and carefully thought-through and well-run vocational learning plays a key role in attracting the talent of the future. Princess Alexandra has clearly demonstrated its commitment to this, and to carrying it out at consistently high quality, which is making a hugely valuable contribution to the wide range of services with which the trust supports so many people in the county.”