Last week, members of the local community were welcomed by departments from across the Trust to explore the different career options available.
The Careers Fair, which is held annually, is organised by the fantastic Widening Participation Team and this year had almost 700 visitors, with people coming from across Lancashire to attend the event.
The Careers’ Fair was hugely popular not just with members of the public, but also with nearby schools and education centres, with some coming from as far a Bolton to attend the day and explore the job offers available.
Some of which included; Fulwood Academy, Our Lady’s Catholic High School, Preston Muslim Girls School, Southlands Secondary School, Parklands High School, Haslingden Sixth Form, Cardinal Newman College, Rivington and Blackrod School, Brownedge St Mary’s Catholic High School, and more.
Upon arrival, visitors were delighted with the stalls and exhibitions available, with twenty-five different departments demonstrating what their jobs have to offer.
For the first time, this also included the Trust’s incredible Blended Learning Team, who provided those in attendance with the opportunity to explore top of the range digital equipment, including VR Headsets, Medical Illustration, AV Equipment and much more.
But it wasn’t just Blended Learning who offered immersive experiences, there were a myriad of interactive activities available; some of which included:
Moulage demonstrations with the STaPS Team, where realistic injuries including burns, breaks and abrasions were applied to excited volunteers, promoting the understanding and impact of immersive training.
First Aid instruction on a Resuscitation Mannequin led by Samantha Noye who guided both adults and youngsters alike into how to perform CPR to potentially save someone’s life.
Many attendees were both delighted and surprised to be able to engage with the departments so interactively, with one group of students saying:
“It’s great to actually be able to have a go at the different activities, instead of just hearing about them. It’s so much more fun and memorable and really gets you thinking about the roles and jobs in a different way because you can actually imagine yourself doing it.”
There was also vital information from an array of different departments, offering details about not only the jobs on offer by the alternative ways to access them, including apprenticeships.
Another student said:
“I don’t know what I want to do but I know I don’t want to go to uni. I came here today thinking it would just be about being a doctor or a nurse, but I’m so surprised at how many different jobs that I could do without even going to uni. I didn’t realise that you could even get apprenticeships in the NHS.”
We can’t wait to see the choices of tomorrow’s future workforce and we would like to offer a massive thank you to all staff who took the time to help organise, assist, and present, along with those who attended.
With a particular thanks to event organiser, Karen Gore, Widening Participation Tutor, who was vital for the event’s success.
She, along with the rest of her team, were delighted with the outcome of the day, saying:
“The Widening Participation Team are absolutely thrilled with the turn out for this year’s Careers Event. With over 600 people in attendance and 25 departments involved it was truly a team effort to get this off the ground and we want to thank everyone involved for making it such a success. We have had fantastic feedback from our schools who attended and have already booked onto our next event!’’
The feedback from the schools was also a great success:
“Thank you, from myself and students at Cardinal Newman. It was a wonderfully organised and thought-provoking day that has benefitted our students beyond their expectations.” – Cardinal Newman College
“All NHS staff were personable, friendly and approachable! Really great that there was a sign up station for the new apprenticeships, lots of our pupils were very interested by this!” – Corpus Christi Catholic High School
“The event was excellent. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout. We were very impressed with the variety of stalls and areas for students to explore.” – Ashton Community Science College
“Firstly thank you so much. The event was absolutely superb, engaging and informative. There was lots on offer. Our students loved taking part in the activities such as intubation, ultrasound etc.” – Rivington and Blackrod High School
“The pupils explored many areas of the hospital and gained valuable insight into many different vocations. We would like to thank Karen for welcoming our pupils and giving them such a valuable experience.”- Our Lady’s Catholic High School
If you are interested in attending any of our upcoming careers’ events or wish for further information, you can contact the Widening Participation Team via email at widening.participation@lthtr.nhs.uk.
