Dear colleague,

This week, we’ve been celebrating National Apprenticeship Week.

A highlight was our event at the House of Commons hosted by MP for Barking Nesil Caliskan, where we recognised some of our 110 apprentices who graduated from their programmes within the last 12 months.

It was inspiring to hear their stories and celebrate their hard work – they are shaping the future of our workforce. Apprenticeships are a vital way we develop talent, offering people from all backgrounds the opportunity to gain skills, experience, and qualifications while contributing to patient care.

Some of our apprentices also shared their journeys with the Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who attended.

These included Ross Denyer who started working at our Trust as a volunteer and is now a fully qualified Phlebotomist.

Our 400 plus apprentices working across our hospitals are from different backgrounds, are at differing stages of their careers, and are of all ages.

Kelly Rose became our first midwife to qualify through an apprenticeship in December.

Kelly, who has children and a mortgage, shared the important message that “apprenticeships are for people of all ages” and it allowed her to follow her dreams.

I want to thank our apprentices, their managers who have supported them and our apprenticeship team who have made this is all possible.

Keep an eye out for our videos from the event next week and find more information about our apprenticeships on our website.

Have a great weekend.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive