The first trainees to benefit from East Coast Community Healthcare’s (ECCH) partnership with The Prince’s Trust have achieved a key healthcare qualification to use in their future careers.
The 12 young people from Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth all obtained a care certificate at the end of their course with ECCH, which was part of The Prince’s Trust ‘Get Into Healthcare’ programme.
The social enterprise, which provides NHS community health services across Suffolk and Norfolk welcomed the trainees, last month.
With the 16 to 25-year-olds undertaking a fortnight of classroom sessions covering all aspects of the service ECCH provides, this was followed by a series of three day placements with different teams including occupational therapy, primary care and the Out of Hospital service which treats people at home, avoiding the need to admit them to hospital.
The care certificate they achieved is a qualification that NHS health and social care support workers require to prove they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide safe, compassionate care. The trainees marked their achievement with a special celebration with ECCH staff at their Hamilton House headquarters in Lowestoft.
Taylor Green, 18, from Gorleston, said: “This has been an amazing experience and I feel I can actually get somewhere now and get a job.”
ECCH course co-ordinator Nicole Hobson said: “The dramatic change I have observed in these students in one month has been amazing. They have grown in confidence, they have experienced a month of routine and structure. This experience has raised their aspirations, and belief in themselves that they can achieve a career - and we were delighted to hear so many saying they wanted to apply for jobs in healthcare and would like to work at ECCH.”
Lizzie Neale, programme executive for The Prince’s Trust, said: “This was the first time we have run a programme with ECCH. The staff have been extremely supportive and the change in the young people has been truly inspirational. They have all grown in confidence, supporting each other throughout the four weeks, and would be a great asset to any organisation.”
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