Blackburn College Supports Young People with Healthcare Employment

A Blackburn College initiative to support young people with learning and care needs into employment is helping to provide career opportunities in the healthcare sector.

Project Search is an innovative supported jobs programme being offered to 16-24 year olds at the Lancashire college, working in collaboration with East Lancashire Hospital Trust.

The first group of students this year are now fully immersed in the work environment at Royal Blackburn Hospital, across the pharmacy and in clinical engineering as part of their year-long course.

Project Search has already proven to be successful for former student, Adam McIver, 19, from Darwen, who completed the programme last year and is now employed as a trainee pharmacist at the hospital.

Adam is also supporting this year’s interns by mentoring a current Project Search student Hassan Nazir.

Adam said: “I think I settled in quite well during my intern time. I felt part of the team quite quickly although I really didn’t know anything about the pharmacy.

“I am now working as a pharmacy assistant part time but hoping for full time soon. I’ve worked hard and got the MPA qualification which allows me to work in the pharmacy.

“There’s a massive difference in me now from when I started the course. I’ve done so much, learnt so much and gone a lot further than I thought I could.

“This would never have happened without Project Search and people from the College speaking to my parents who then pushed me to do this.”

Hassan, 18, is currently working on pharmaceutical stock assembly.

He said: “At first I was a bit nervous. I am getting so much experience in the pharmacy which will all help me as I want to pursue a medical career.

“Having Adam as my mentor has been great. He helps me so much and makes sure I don’t make any mistakes and that everything I send out is correct.

“This is one of the most advanced pharmacies in the whole of Lancashire and I am so pleased to have this opportunity.

“I want to go on and do a BTEC or A levels after this. I am determined to prove myself and become a doctor.”

Joanne Allison is the senior technician in charge of training and education at the hospital and works with the Project Search interns.

She said: “It is amazing to see how these young people come out of their shells and grow in confidence, which is exactly what happened with Adam.

“We try and tailor all tasks to the individual, helping to build their confidence, not giving them something too difficult to do at first, which could make them feel as if they are failing.

“From this, we build on developing tasks where they can gain more knowledge, confidence and success.”

DFN Project Search is a nationally recognised programme that provides real-world work experience and employability training.

Daniel Wilcock, Skills Tutor and Project Search lead at Blackburn College, said: “We have been running the project at the College for three years now and collaborating with the hospital throughout.

“Royal Blackburn is a teaching hospital so has a really good approach to mentoring, and an incredible network of coaches for our interns.

“All the staff who work with our students have an understanding of what their needs are which makes a huge difference.

“The feedback on every single one of our current interns has been really positive.

“Of course they’ve had difficulties through it but when we come to the end of this programme, all of them will be 100% employable.

“They will have those skills and we go on to support them with job applications, interview techniques and job hunting itself.”

This current programme will finish at the end of June.