Trafford College has been helping people returning to work find key health care roles thanks to a unique workplace training partnership with the NHS.

More than 100 graduates of the College Group’s Employability and Community Learning programme have successfully completed the programme over the past two years with many securing jobs across the NHS; many are currently working on the frontline supporting patients through the current Covid-19 crisis.

Participants, who have to be over 19 at the start of the course, receive four weeks of certified City & Guilds training in college, followed by six weeks on-the-job in a variety of settings, including laboratories, pharmacies and hospitals, such as Stepping Hill and The Christie.

Christie radiographer Wesley Doherty said: "We had an overwhelmingly positive experience with the placement students who have excelled in their time with us.

"They really integrated into the team and took ownership for their learning. They were able to spend time with patients and have had a big impact. The students were really impressive and have adopted The Christie values, putting our patients at the heart of what we do here.”

Successful candidates from Trafford College’s recruitment events receive health screening and assessment before being accepted, with three out of every four offered a job through the guaranteed interview at the end of the course.

Course graduates are employed in a variety of settings, including pharmacies, administration, domestic services and medical laboratories, and in a variety of roles, such as health care assistant, porter, apprentice and bank staff.

Lucy Cowburn, a former Thomas Cook employee from Urmston, started her new job as an ambulance care assistant for the North West Ambulance Service in February, after looking for employment that would fit around her family commitments.

She said: "Everyone has something they want to get out of this experience, from taking bloods and observing medicals to moving and handling, I built the foundation and understanding of how things work on the wards and in the NHS, which has been invaluable in my practice.”

To find out more about the College’s Employability & Community Learning NHS Partnership Programme or to be part of the next intake, now in its sixth cohort, email david.roberts@tcg.ac.uk. Please be advised that the next programme is not due to start until September.