Healthcare training programme for young people in mid and south Essex awarded funding

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is proud to be one of six NHS organisations to receive funding from the Health Foundation and NHS England and NHS Improvement to help local young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to get the skills they need to secure the job they want.

The funding will be used to develop a dedicated youth partnership that includes a focus on supporting young people with training and guidance to help them find a job in health or social care and to improve their life chances. The programme is part of the?Health Anchors Learning Network?(HALN) launched in March 2021. It enables participants to share and develop ideas, knowledge and skills, which will help them to implement ’anchor institution’ plans.

Anchor institutions are large organisations which are rooted in their communities, such as universities, local authorities, and hospitals. They have significant resources, spending power and can strategically use these to benefit local residents.

There are various areas of mid and south Essex where there are particular challenges for young people, including high numbers of children from low-income families, and high rates of young people not managing to stay in education, a job or training. The youth programme is aimed at addressing these challenges.

There is already work ongoing in Basildon to support young people’s employment opportunities, including an A&E youth project, a learning disability internship pilot and a virtual healthcare academy for schools. This project will link with these and strengthen the reach of the Anchor Programme across the mid and south Essex area.

Charlotte Williams, Chief Strategy and Improvement Officer, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said:

By teaming up with health and care partners, such as local councils, and the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners Office we’re able to provide real opportunities for young people who are most at risk of being left behind, supporting them to fulfil their potential with a range of training and work experience opportunities. As one of the largest employers in the region we are in a position to go further in supporting our local residents and this goes beyond providing excellent health and care services.”

You can learn more about the The Anchor Programme?here.