The Region proposes to address these issues in the following ways: - Attract young people and other available, potential recruits by offering first class educational and training support to enable them to perform their role to the best of their ability
- Introduce a skill mix appropriate for the needs of the service delivery
- Introduce a service that meets the needs of the patients and service users
- Have full support from the educational providers, to ensure that the service delivery is the ultimate achievement, rather than academic qualifications
- Form links with school age children through a variety of initiatives to bring to their attention (and to the general public at large) the opportunities of working within the health and social care framework of the Region
Employers in the Region have particularly requested help with the academic challenges ahead to enable the new workforce to have the right level of educational and practical skills needed to implement the new style healthcare delivery. They have particularly asked that:
- Employers be actively engaged in discussion and consultation about skill needs for the future
- There be a ‘'One-Stop Shop'' for information, advice and guidance regarding workforce planning, funding, commissioning and provision of education
A particularly innovative approach to the problems of educating the future workforce has been proposed in the Region. There are plans to develop a Regional Skills Academy, spread over six sites, one per county. The Regional Skills Academy would clarify and develop the necessary funding streams and work with the employers to define and address skills gaps and provide best practice and support across a wide range of qualifications and teaching methods that are particularly relevant to the Healthcare Sector.
