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Aspire NewsletterIntroduction
Welcome to the April edition of our Aspire@BCH newsletter.
Aspire@BCH aims to support young people in getting the skills and experience needed to enter the world of work and this newsletter will keep you informed of all the latest news and events, as well as letting you know about current opportunities at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It also aims to keep our staff up-to-date with the latest projects our Aspire@BCH team are working on.
To make sure you do not miss out on any of our editions, please email [email protected] to subscribe to the electronic versions of our newsletter.
‘Aspire@BCH helped, inspired, motivated and changed me. What will
Aspire@BCH do for you?’
Wow what a year it has been for Aspire@BCH! Can you believe it was only launched in April 2014, yet in the last year alone we have supported so many young people, developed some fantastic offers and really made a difference to the services we provide to our children, young people and their families. For a relatively small employer in Birmingham we are certainly creating an impact and showcasing the exciting careers we have to offer!
We are passionate about offering opportunities that will empower our young people, and giving them the chance to participate fully as a member of TeamBCH. To do this, we are constantly reviewing the services we offer as part of Aspire and pushing ourselves to see what else we can do. We are particularly proud of our Learning Disability programme which recognises that some young people often face extra obstacles when looking for work. We have also recently developed an e-mentoring scheme which matches young people – and particularly our patients – with a mentor who will give them personal advice about their futures, and so raise their confidence and motivation levels. Our staff have been real champions for young people and are really positive about the impact these initiatives are having, with 67 staff members signing up as Youth Ambassadors to show their commitment to our services and young people.
Aspire has achieved so much in thepast year which really proves that opportunities are truly without limits! To round off this fantastic year we are holding our Aspire@BCH Star Awards in June which will recognise our most outstanding contributors to the programme and their fantastic achievements. What an amazing year. It is exciting times and I can’t wait to see what next year brings!
Foreword from Theresa Nelson, Chief Officer for Workforce Development
Aspire@BCH | Steelhouse Lane | Birmingham | B4 6NH0121 333 8604 www.aspireatbch.com
Fourth Edition
April Edition
InfographicWe have recently been looking back at the work we have carried out since we launched in April 2014, and the number of young people we have supported through our services. We have created an infographic to show the number of opportunities we have provided for young people. The whole infographic is available to view on our website, so make sure to take a look!
April Edition
Apprenticeship OpportunitiesIn May, we will begin recruiting for our next cohort of apprentices. The recruitment days will be held in June and the apprenticeships will commence in September 2015. All apprenticeship vacancies will be advertised on www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk and www.jobs.nhs.uk. The types of apprenticeships that will be on offer include Business and Administration and Clinical Healthcare Support. For details on our apprenticeship programme, please visit the apprenticeship page of our website.
“The Business and Admin apprenticeship is a great way to see the non-clinical side of the hospital. I’ve also been able to see how the hospital supports its young staff and the apprenticeship has allowed me to get my foot in the door which has been a real boost for my career!” - Abbie Merryman, apprentice
Apprenticeships are a great opportunity to earn and learn whilst receiving a nationally recognised qualification at the same time. If you want experience working within the NHS, then why not apply?
Latest NewsHealth Futures UTC Open Day and “The Hype”
On Saturday 14 March we held two exciting events here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital!
The first event was the Health Futures University Technology College Open Day which was aimed at young people who are interested in a career in healthcare or health sciences. Young people and their families attended to learn more about the various careers within the NHS and to see how Health Futures could help them pursue their goals. BCH staff and other organisations like West Midlands Ambulance Service also had stands at the event. We also had another event which was hosted by one of our young person’s Campaign Groups, “The Hype”. The young people had been planning and organising this event after receiving social action leader training from the University of First Age (UFA). The event was aimed at patients, Young Person’s Advisory Group (YPAG) members and anyone who was interested in music and spoken word performances. A variety of school bands performed on the day, and the attendees really enjoyed relaxing and listening to them. A massive well done to the young people for putting the event together, and thank you again to everyone who attended, supported or performed at the event.
Aspire@BCH Star Awards
We are excited to annouce our upcoming Aspire@BCH Star Awards! These awards are to celebrate the fantastic work and achievements of the young people and staff we have working here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
The award categories are:
Apprentice of the YearGraduate Intern of the YearManager/Mentor of the YearYouth Ambassador of the YearBiggest Achiever of the YearPeople’s AwardPartner Organisation of the YearYoung Leader of the Year
Shumi Begum is a past winner of an award:
“I won the Apprentice of the Year award in 2012 which was very rewarding. It was great to be recognised for the work I had done as an apprentice. Having had the opportunity to be an apprentice at BCH was fantastic as it is a great place to work. Securing an apprenticeship meant that I was able to work and learn at the same time and it equipped me with the skills needed in the workplace. It really was a fantastic start to my career!” The ceremony will be held at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Thursday 18 June.
In March, we held Challenge Week for our interns and apprentices. Their challenge was to spend the week working on creating a digital resource which will be used by members of the public to help them access the Big Hoot owls across the city during the summer and would encourage them to visit and engage with different areas of Birmingham.
The interns and apprentices were divided into three groups who then - with the help of training from University of First Age (UFA) - had to compete against each other to come up with an idea for a resource that the Big Hoot would be able to use. Here is what the young people got up to throughout the week:
Day 1: The first part of the challenge was for the groups to work out what their challenge would actually be! The groups had to go on their own trail throughout Birmingham, finding and taking selfies next to various art sculptures. For each selfie taken, the group were given an egg which contained a piece to the clue. As the groups were timed and were competing against the other teams, there was a lot of running across the city involved!
The rest of the day was spent carrying out team building and leadership activities, reflecting on personal strengths and skills and brainstorming ideas.
Day 2: On Tuesday, the groups went out to various primary and secondary schools in Birmingham to conduct some market research. The groups carried out activities with the students to talk about their ideas and to find out what the students would like from a summer trail. All of them were enthusiastic about the idea of the Big Hoot trail and said it would be a great way to spend time with their families during the summer!
Day 3: Wednesday saw the groups visiting Big Cat, who are Marketing, PR and Creative Design specialists. Here the groups workedwith a designer to see their ideas for their project come to life.
Day 4: The first session on Thursday was ominously entitled ‘Spanner in the Works’, and the groups were indeed thrown a spanner, as they were told that they had an hour to prepare a
presentation to Sarah-Jane Marsh, the Chief Executive! The groups all managed to put together a presentation in the time and gained some invaluable feedback.
In the afternoon, the groups each had to shoot a video that would be used as the advert for their projects. The groups storyboarded the scenes and appeared in the videos. You can watch the adverts on our website here.
Day 5: Friday was the big day: the time had come for the groups to pitch their ideas to an audience and the Dragons’ Den Panel! This was made up of Theresa Nelson, Chris Chiswell and Louise McCathie who all work at the hospital. This was the first time that the groups finally unveiled their ideas to everyone. The ideas for resources included: a trail booklet which included a map and information on things to do in Birmingham; a digital storybook which would allow participants to document their memories of the trail; and an app which would allow participants to gain information about the trail and chart their progress on the move.
All of the ideas were fantastic and Team Purple were announced as the winning team who came up with the digital storyboard concept.
A big thank you to everyone who took part in Challenge Week, and to the staff members and external organisations and schools who supported us. A massive thank you to Yasir Iqbal, the Aspire Project Lead, and Jan Polack from UFA for organising and delivering the event and making it such a fun, memorable and rewarding time for everyone involved. You can view the video and photos from the week on our website.
The Big Hoot app will be available this summer with the winning concept. Make sure you download it and visit the trail!
“Challenge Week was the perfect way to encompass team work, leadership and creativity. The week was fun, stimulating and exciting; it encouraged everyone to work together to the best of their abilities and stretched our comfort zones. I’d recommend it to all future interns and apprentices!” - Alicia Pearce, intern
Challenge Week
April Edition
Working with UsAspire@BCH’s steering group meets here at the hospital every two months. Our aim is to work closely with other organisations and individuals within the West Midlands who share our vision to keep them up to date with what progress we are making, to help drive Aspire@ BCH forward and to see how we can work together in partnership.
We are always looking for new partnerships, so If you are interested in joining our steering group, or want to find out more, please email Yasir Iqbal at [email protected].
Hear from some of of current partners below to learn more about the work they carry out, and how you too can get involved.
Health Futures University Technology CollegeDo you have young family or friends considering a career in health? A new University Technical College (UTC) aimed at giving young people the necessary skills for a career in healthcare and health science professions is opening in September 2015.
The Health Futures UTC, which is being built on the High Street in West Bromwich, is sponsored by the University of Wolverhampton, the West Midlands Ambulance Service, the Midcounties Co-operative Pharmacy, and 21 employer partners including all of the region’s NHS Trusts. This means that Birmingham Children’s Hospital is also actively supporting this exciting educational opportunity. We know that many young people with family working in the health sector are keen to follow in their footsteps for a rewarding career, so could a Health Futures UTC education provide your child or relative with the ideal start on that journey?
Aimed at 14-19 year-olds, the UTC will have a strong focus on science but cover a range of traditional subjects at GCSE and A-level, as well as practical and technical qualifications with a view to providing skills for careers in the NHS, health science industries or pharmaceutical industries.
April Edition
Students will also be involved in employer-led technical challenges and regularly be tested through real-life scenarios, interactive study and the use of simulation technologies. Science laboratories, a mock hospital ward and an immersive visualisation suite, will all be equipped to meet the needs of a diverse student population. The unique education that the UTC offers will equip young people with qualifications and life skills to help them succeed in any career or higher education choice they eventually make.
Serving the communities of Birmingham, the Black Country, Solihull and North Worcestershire the UTC is now recruiting for Year 10 and Sixth Form.
Meet the PrincipalRobert Fell has been appointed as the Principal Designate forthe new Health Futures UTC. Previously, the Principal of the Landau Forte Academy QEMS in Tamworth, over the past three years Mr Fell took the school out of Special Measures and transformed it to a ‘Good’ status in all Ofsted categories.
Mr Fell, Principal Designate, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Principal Designate of the Health Futures UTC. The UTC is being created to provide an outstanding academic education to young people while also giving them a unique insight into the health and health science sector.”
Open DayFind out more at our upcoming Open Days where you’ll get the chance to meet Robert Fell and representatives from some of our partner organisations:• Saturday 25th April at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, 10:00am – 2:00pm• Saturday 2nd May at West Midlands Ambulance Service Training Centre in Brierley Hill, 10:00am – 2:00pm
Or visit www.healthfuturesutc.co.uk or telphone us on 01902 518 642
Working with UsUpRisingWe have recently begun working with UpRising to help the development of our young people here at the hospital. Read below to find out more about their work and their offer for young people.
UpRising is a UK-wide youth leadership development organisation. Our mission is to open pathways to power for talented young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. We offer a range of leadership and employability programmes for 15-25 year olds which equip them with the knowledge, networks, skills, and confidence to fulfil their leadership potential, find new opportunities and transform the world around them through social action.
Through our programmes, participants have delivered hundreds of social action campaigns addressing issues such as mental health, homelessness, employability, unemployment, food poverty, and racism. Past campaigns have included ‘RealSpo’ which challenged the growing trend in ‘Thinspiration’ websites and social media which encourage unhealthy body image and was even featured on Sky News!
We also work with schools, youth and community groups to deliver workshops that develop the confidence and know-how to enable young people to realise their own ability to make change happen. Over the past year in Birmingham we’ve worked with almost 900 young people through these workshops! We’re hoping to build more relationships with schools and community groups who are interested in our bespoke programmes for their young people, from revision skills to social action tips.
We’re always looking to work with more young people: 19-25s can apply for our Leadership Programme (next cohort starts in the autumn) or 16-20 year old NCS grads can get involved in our My Voice My Vote residential.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or 07842 170 962.
Future Leaders ClubWe are also excited to be partners with the Future Leaders Club. Here, Jazz Singh, the Founder and Chair of the organisation, talks about the Club and what it can offer to you.
Launched in January 2015, the Future Leaders Club is a leadership and personal development membership network for ambitious young people, passionate about self-improvement and to develop key skills needed in the world of work. Meeting on a regular basis for learning, fun and friendship, we run inspiring and interactive events and projects for our members. We support the diverse community of Birmingham, and beyond, helping fellow citizens reach their goals, ambitions and aspirations.
We care about inspiring, developing, and promoting the next generation of dynamic people-centric leaders from Birmingham, who aspire values-based living and integrity. The Future Leaders Club is a Birmingham based federation of young ambitious leaders.
Our monthly member events consist of workshops and challenges designed to equip our members with tools to build their skills, capability, and confidence, whilst instilling and building core leadership skills. A focus on continual self-improvement, realigns people with all aspects of their life. We are passionate about developing young leaders and helping them to see that there are positive opportunities available to them apart from what they might be currently seeing and experiencing.
We are delighted to be a partner of Aspire@BCH. For young people joining through Aspire@BCH, lifetime membership of the Future Leaders Club is free. The Aspire@BCH programme is a unique and caring offer from the Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, supporting and enabling local young people, to develop their skillset to enter the world of work. The Future Leaders Club and Aspire@BCH are on the same journey, the same mission, and are aiming for the same target – making young people successful.
For more information, please contact us at [email protected] or 07984 678 543, visit us at www.futureleadersclub.com or follow us on Twitter @JazzLeaders
Remember: “Never miss an opportunity for improvement.”
April Edition
April Edition
Career BoardsAs part of our Launch back in December, we invited artist Stina Jones along to produce a career board of Sara Brown, the Associate Director for Education and Organisational Development, to show how her career has progressed. We were really pleased with the result so we spoke to Stina to find out about her own career and what tips she has for young people on their own career journeys.
How long have you been an illustrator and graphic designer?
I’ve been a graphic designer for nearly 10 years and illustrating professionally for just over 5 – although I’ve been doodling and creating for as long as I can remember.
I produce everything from designs for print and web marketing campaigns, through to art prints and character doodles! You can check out some of my work on my website - www.stinajones.co.uk
What career path did you take to get to where you are? Have you ever faced any challenges?
After a year at college studying Art and Design, I decided to pursue Graphic Design through a work based training scheme. This was followed by a few further years of self-teaching, working temp jobs and picking up odd freelance commissions here and there, before I decided to make a go of it and start working for myself as a freelancer. I’d had no formal business training so it was a big learning curve - but a rewarding one all the same!
Had you ever created a careers board before?
Not specifically, but I took a similar approach as I would to an infographic or illustrated website,paying as much attention to the layout and flow as I did to the illustrations in order to tell the story. It was fun to apply the techniques to something a bit different.
Why did you choose to work with Birmingham Children’s Hospital?
Aspire@BCH sounded like a fantastic project. I fully support these kinds of training initiatives for young people and was proud to be a part of the launch.
Top Tweetss
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pursue their dream career?
Be confident in your abilities and proactive in thinking up ways to open up opportunities for yourself. Careers are for the long haul and things may change along the way but keep at it and the hard work will pay off.
Upcoming EventsApprenticeship Job Fair, Walsall CollegeWednesday 29 April 20154pmFind out about apprenticeship opportunities available in your dream career area.
http://bit.ly/1ySKZ7E
Health Futures UTC Open DaySaturday 2 May 2015
10am - 2pmHealth Futures UTC are holding a ‘Meet the Principal’ event at West Midlands Ambulance Service Training Centre in Brierley Hill. This is a great opportunity to meet members of the UTC team.
http://bit.ly/1OFbkrZ
The Future Leaders Club - “Actions for Success”Saturday 9 May 201511am - 2.30 pmThis is the fourth event in the Future Leader Club’s ‘Powerful Habits of the Ultra Successful’ series. Join them to learn about “Action for Success.” Held at the Vanta Centre, BPP University, Birmingham, the event is a must for all ambitious people. The event is free.
http://bit.ly/1GjFeCA
The Future Leaders Club and The REP Theatre presents “Building Confidence through Drama” Tuesday 26 May 2015A free drama workshop held at The REP Theatre aimed at anyone looking to build their confidence.http://bit.ly/1yODSNt
Higher Education ConventionThursday 25 - Friday 26 June 2015UCAS conventions give those with an interest in higher education a platform to connect with each other. They’re a chance for budding undergrads to get an insight into the next phase of their lives, to see what the future may hold. Held at Aston University.http://bit.ly/1MpvXZY
Closing InformationOur next newsletter will be out in June.
If you have any feedback about the newsletter or have any suggestions for content for the next one, then please contact Jodie Carpenter at [email protected].
Web: www.aspireatbch.comTwitter: @Aspire_at_BCHFacebook: www.facebook.com/aspireatbch1Email: [email protected] Phone: 0121 333 8604
April Edition
Supporting StudentsWe have supported a number of school students recently from delivering mock interviews and career fairs, to holding our structured work experience week here at the hospital. We have visited Ninestiles School, Fairfax School, North Birmingham Academy and Moseley School to talk about our apprenticeship programme and to give students the chance to experience an interview and gain valuable feedback. The students we spoke to said they ‘enjoyed the mock interview experience, and it definitely helped them feel more prepared for the future’.
We also visited Aston and Coventry universities to talk to students about our graduate internship programme and to offer some tips for completing the application form. Lots of students expressed an interest in the internship programme and we received over 400 applications! We are currently shortlising these, and candidates will be notified in 3-4 weeks. Good luck!
We also held our work experience structured week in March. 10 students visited the hospital and spent time in departments such as Plastic Surgery, Radiology, Staff Experience, Dermatology and Heart Investigations. The students enjoyed getting to see a wide range of departments within the hospital. We also held our second careers board competition for the students. They all produced some fantastic work and the winning careers board was produced by Maarij Mirza who interviewed Sarah Buckingham from Dermatology. To view some of the boards, please visit us online.
