Bethany Hawkins, joined UHCW in 2019 as a healthcare assistant after completing GCSEs. Opting for the apprenticeship route, Bethany flourished through the combination of training on the job whilst learning the theory underpinning her chosen career in care.
Gaining first-hand experience in working directly with patients, providing one to one support, Bethany’s dedication and compassion shone. She gained a distinction in her apprenticeship in adult care at level 2 before progressing seamlessly to the lead adult care worker apprenticeship at level 3.
To add to her skill set, Bethany has taken up the opportunity of a secondment within the learning development team to support new starters with their apprenticeship training.
Commenting on the benefits of her apprenticeship success, Bethany said: “I’m really enjoying my new role of supporting apprentices and helping them to gain the experience and practical support I was lucky enough to have. For anyone who is considering taking an apprenticeship, I would say to just go for it! The university route is not for everyone and I have found that working and learning is a perfect mix. It certainly was the best option for me.”
Another apprentice to enjoy success at UHCW is Thomas Seacombe who also started at UHCW in 2019 as a health care assistant. As well as offering one-to-one patient care, he supports patients’ mental health needs and taking care of their welfare within the hospital. Having previously worked as an engineer in the automotive industry, Thomas decided to embark on a different career path and is thriving in his role as a senior enhanced health care assistant at UHCW, where he has also achieved a distinction for his advanced apprenticeship at level 3.
Thomas remarked: “I really enjoyed the mix of working at the hospital and the off-the-job training where I developed a deeper understanding of providing excellent health care. I received great support from Chamber Training. The staff are always on hand for guidance. Taking an apprenticeship after working in engineering was a brave switch, but it has worked out well for me and I’m really glad I did it.”
Commenting on Bethany and Thomas, Kirstie Elliott, Learning and Development Specialist at UHCW said: “We are delighted at Bethany and Thomas’ success at UHCW and we look forward to seeing their careers progressing further. We have been working in partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber Training for many years to provide high quality training for our apprentices. Their support is an essential part of our apprenticeship programme and we look forward to building on this in the future.”
Sally Lucas, Executive Director at Chamber Training concluded: “At Chamber Training, we have built up a good understanding of how the NHS Trust in Coventry and Warwickshire operates which enables us to design apprenticeships which suits their needs. Our experience shows that the mixture of on and off the job learning, shaped around business needs can make a real difference to individuals and organisations.
“It is also an ideal time for employers to take advantage of extra government financial incentives to support businesses to create new jobs and apprenticeships. Employers can receive £3,000 for new apprentices of any age who join their organisation from 1st April to 30th September 2021. Our team are on hand to provide guidance and support to make the apprenticeship journey easy.”
