It’s National T-Levels week (Monday 2 to Friday 6 December), and we’re offering local students the chance to complete their placements and gain valuable work experience in our hospitals.

Lauren Winser, 18, from Harold Hill, was part of our first-ever group of T-Level students who completed placements at Queen’s and King George hospitals. Lauren is now being taken on as an apprentice with us.

T-Levels combine classroom learning at our local colleges and an industry placement of at least 45 days to give students practical skills in the workplace.

Lauren studied at Barking and Dagenham College and saw how to put theory into practice by working alongside our hospital staff including healthcare assistants, nurses and maternity assistants.

She said:

I was able to see what you are learning about it in a real-life setting and help out where needed by carrying out tasks under supervision.

I saw a patient outside who recognised me and she came up to me and said how nice it was to have me looking after her, which was really nice. It made me realise how working in healthcare is very rewarding.

The industry placement programme first started in June 2022. There are currently 12 students studying T-Level health who are completing their placements with us.

We’ll be welcoming more students undertaking more types of T-Levels to our hospitals in 2025. Working together with more local colleges in our community, we’re expanding to offer students T-Level placements in health, business management and healthcare science.

Stevie Attree is the Programme Manager in Education and Workforce Development at our Trust and helps to organise placements.

Stevie said:

Young people have so much to offer with new ideas and perspectives. As a Trust this is our grassroots investment in development of our future workforce.

They will be inspired by our talented group of mentors and students and they will get the experience and the skills they need to provide really high-quality care to patients.