Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust celebrates 'valued apprentices'

SaTH currently has 214 employees on apprenticeship programmes, which is a 29 per cent increase since 2024. 

There are a range of apprenticeships in areas including accounting and finance, legal and associate project management.

Rhia Boyode, Chief People Officer at SaTH, said: “Our apprentices are an important and valued part of our workforce. 

"By taking on apprentices, we are futureproofing the NHS. Apprenticeships allow people to gain on-the-job experience, which lead to skilled and qualified teams.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for people to consider as a pathway into the NHS and to underpin their progression on their chosen career route within our organisation.”

Danielle Childs, Planning Manager and Get it Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme Coordinator has worked at SaTH for five and a half years. 

Her first role within the NHS was as a cleanliness technician on the wards, but with strong computing and administration skills, she is currently studying on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA), which, upon completion, will give her a BA Hons in Professional Management.

She said: “From having a varied range of roles in the Trust, the CMDA has enabled me to gain knowledge of different areas and perspectives and experience the ‘day-to-day’ very differently. 

“The CMDA will complement this experience. It has been a positive journey and has taught me so much. It has complemented my knowledge and skills as a manager, such as from coaching and mentoring, to leading people and teams. Having the support from the Trust has made it possible to achieve a big milestone in my life and career.”

Genine Power started at SaTH in 2013 as an imaging assistant in the Radiology department and gained an NVQ in Health and Social Care whilst also attending a local college to gain her GCSE maths equivalent. 

In 2019 she started a two-year foundation degree at Birmingham City University to become an apprentice assistant practitioner. This was followed by a six month bridging course with Cumbria University and then a twelve month top-up which covered the third year of an undergraduate degree, resulting in a BSc Honours Degree in Diagnostic Radiography, which she completed in June 2024. 

She said: “When I left school, I never dreamt I’d have a degree, that I’d attend one university let alone two, I never dreamt that I’d graduate, but I have… twice!

“SaTH provided me access to both NVQ and maths providers, the apprenticeships in both the assistant practitioner course and the bridging course. The course fees were covered and I earned a wage whilst I was studying, they also allowed sufficient study time to gain these qualifications. 

“Apprenticeships enable those with life responsibilities such as children and mortgages a chance to achieve goals that were previously unachievable.”

For further information about apprenticeships at SaTH please visit www.jobs.sath.nhs.uk/find-job/apprenticeships or call Judith Tudor, Talent and Succession Manager, on 01952 641222 ext 2956.