CONEL agrees deal with Whittington Health to train up to 85 apprentices

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL) has won a contract with Whittington Health NHS Trust to train up to 85 apprentices to work in the healthcare sector over the next 12 months.

The Trust provides hospital and community care services to 500,000 people living in Islington and Haringey as well as other London boroughs, including Barnet, Enfield, Camden and Hackney.

The apprenticeships are a  combination of new vacancies and opportunities for existing staff and run for 12 or 18 months, with the first 10 apprentices recruited earlier in September.

Depending on the role, the schemes will include training in areas including clinical support, business administration, management and IT services.

Charlotte Johnson, Head of Learning and Development at Whittington Health, said: “We’re extremely pleased to be working with CONEL to deliver training for our apprentices.

“At Whittington Health, we invest in our apprentices so that they will become part of our skilled and motivated workforce, and see this as an exciting career development opportunity for both new and existing staff.

“CONEL’s flexibility in offering the training times we need to support staff in different locations was a factor in choosing the College as our training provider, as was its invaluable help in recruiting talent from our local community.”

Rose Rees, 41, a Personal Assistant at Whittington hospital, who has enrolled on a Level 3 apprenticeship in business administration, said: “I have just completed my Level 2 and wanted to improve my skills to further my career in the NHS. This apprenticeship will hopefully give me the knowledge and experience to help me get there.”

CONEL has been training apprentices for more than 30 years and works with around 370 employers to offer over 1,000 apprenticeships in areas including construction, engineering, health and social care, accountancy, computing and business administration.

In 2015/16 95% of employers were satisfied with the training provided by CONEL with 97% confirming training had seen an improvement in employee skills and increased productivity.

Over the past year CONEL has worked in partnership with North Middlesex University Hospital Trust to help more than 40 people gain employment in the NHS, either through apprenticeships or on completion of a full-time healthcare course.

Jackie Chapman, Director of Employability and Employer Engagement at CONEL, said:”We’re delighted to have won this tender to provide apprentices and training to Whittington Health NHS Trust.

“This will create an excellent partnership as both of our organisations are focused on supporting the local community in improving their lives. Newly created apprenticeship positions will introduce new employees to the NHS, creating opportunities for many people to begin their career.

 “The creation of additional employment opportunities with Whittington Health for local residents through this new partnership is an excellent development.”

For more information on health and social care apprenticeship opportunities at CONEL call 020 8442 3055 or visit www.conel.ac.uk/courses/apprenticeships.