Health sector specific pre-employment programmes give you sustainable solutions to recruiting people into entry-level posts that have proved hard to fill

    

What are health sector specific pre-employment programmes?

Health sector specific pre-employment programmes:

• help individuals move into sustainable employment within the health sector through local partnerships
• meet the specific needs of the sector and have been linked to the Knowledge and Skills Framework, National Occupational Standards and national standards for adult literacy and numeracy
• are built on the best evidence-based HR practices, eg. seeking not only to “select and recruit” but also to “attract and impress”, in turn leading to improved retention
• are targeted specifically at groups of candidates who may be better served by a more supportive approach than the usual health sector recruitment procedures.

Benefits of using health sector specific pre-employment programmes

Delivering a health sector specific pre-employment programme provides employers with opportunities to:

• invest in their future workforce, whilst making cost savings on recruitment and retention for entry level posts
• recruit ‘job ready’ and motivated individuals, who have acquired the appropriate employability skills for entry level posts and in many cases proved themselves able employees in a work trial
• overcome difficult areas of recruitment by having access to wider pools of candidates and funding streams
• target and customise training through a programme that can be locally adapted to their own needs
• actively engage with their local community and promote themselves as an employer of choice within it
• support corporate social responsibilities and health inequalities agendas.

Health sector specific pre-employment programmes available through Skills for Health

The Sector Employability Toolkit

The Sector Employability Toolkit (SET) was developed in partnership with the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, Jobcentre Plus and the Learning & Skills Council.  The toolkit supports the long-term unemployed and other Jobcentre Plus target groups in gaining employment in initial entry level support worker roles within the health sector.  Delivery of the toolkit is based on Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs) between Jobcentre Plus, health sector employers and a training provider, and its key features include an initial recruitment and selection event, a two week training programme and a three week work trial.  Find out more

The Health Sector Pre-employment Programme

The new Health Sector Pre-employment Programme builds on the existing SET and focuses on supporting young people (18 – 24 years) in moving into initial entry level posts and sustainable employment within the health sector.  The programme aims to contribute to growing the workforce for the future by providing a progression pathway into Level 2 qualifications and Apprenticeship Frameworks.  It is flexible to meet both local and national needs and includes a mix of core and optional units, which can be delivered over a 5 to 8 week period, as well as the possibility of a work placement.  Delivery of the programme at local level will be through partnerships between health sector employers, Jobcentre Plus Advisers and identified Routes to Work contracted training providers. Find out more