Liverpool’s largest NHS Trust has received national recognition for its work to promote accessible and inclusive apprenticeship opportunities.
The apprenticeship team at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT) has created work prospects for 100 local people in the past 12 months, in partnership with local colleges, schools, the Department for Working Pensions, Liverpool in Work and the Prince’s Trust.
The Trust, which runs Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool University Dental Hospital and Royal Liverpool University Hospital, took home the Widening Participation Recognition Award at the 10th Annual Apprenticeship Conference (AAC), recognising the organisation’s dedication to creating inclusive opportunities for people who may have faced challenges in their employment journeys.
One apprentice who has experienced first-hand the benefits that can come from a placement at the Trust is Lola Dawson.
Lola, who studies at Hugh Baird College, received the Prince’s Trust L’Oreal Rising Star Award that recognises young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their chances in life and positively impacted their local community.
Lola completed a two-week placement with the Prince’s Trust team in 2022 after being out of education from the age of 13. She then went on to secure an apprenticeship with LUHFT as a Healthcare Assistant at Aintree University Hospital, as part of her Level 2 Health and Social Care apprenticeship at Hugh Baird College.
Annette Pollitt, Apprenticeship and Widening Participation Lead at LUHFT, said: “We are delighted to have received this award. It’s testament to all the hard work that takes place across LUHFT to support local people to explore potential job roles, whether that be an apprenticeship, work experience placement, cadetship or traineeship.
“We’re so proud of Lola, who is a perfect example of the job prospects our programmes can provide. She has a bright future ahead of her. As a Trust, we have developed brilliant working relationships with educational providers and will continue to do so to create more job opportunities going forward.”
