Opening health careers to all
The University of Bradford is working with St John’s Ambulance to help young people in the region become NHS cadets.
NHS Cadets is a new scheme created by St. John Ambulance in partnership with the NHS, that provides opportunities to explore roles in healthcare. It is aimed at young people aged 14 to 18 who are from communities currently under-represented within the NHS and St John Ambulance.
The project aims to reach a diverse range of young people, including young people from minority ethnic communities, young people in care or young carers and young people who have not yet considered a career in the health and care sector, or volunteering with services providing health care or care across our local communities.
The University is working with two cohorts of students, the foundation group which is aged 14-16 years and the advanced which is 16-18 years. The advanced cohort will be working with the outreach team to visit campus two evenings a week, for 36 weeks. During this time staff and students from the University will be facilitating some of their sessions.
The students will be taking part in interactive workshops with the University’s Outreach team. They will attend talks and interactive workshops with academics, visit the university facilities and spend time with student ambassadors and alumni. This will cover a range of topics from supporting students with their personal statements, to finding out about future careers in health and what student life is like.
Dr Anita Sargeant, Head of Allied Health Professions and Midwifery at the University of Bradford said: “As a young girl I was fortunate to be a St. John Ambulance Cadet, this was central in launching my health care career and helped inspire me to reach my current role.
“This programme provides the cadets with a broad insight into the diverse range of health careers that are available to them. Our aim is to widen their awareness of the opportunities available and challenge any preconceived stereotypes they may have on who can get into certain health care professions. We hope to enable the cadets to see what skills they have and how they can be used in a health care setting.”
Sofie Armitage, Regional Programme Lead (NHS Cadets) said: “We are very excited to partner with the University of Bradford to deliver the NHS Cadets Advanced programme to 16–18-year-olds in Bradford.
“In addition to St John Ambulance and the Bradford District Care Trust providing young people with the opportunities to explore skills, knowledge and volunteering roles within healthcare, the University is proving interactive workshops, tours and visits from University students to really inspire young people to reach their potential and realise what they are capable of achieving in the near future.”
Find further information about the programme or volunteer to support young people through their NHS Cadets journey. As a volunteer with our NHS Cadets Project, you’ll be trained to provide our young people with the skills and opportunities to sustain themselves in health care volunteering.