Health Education England (HEE) has awarded £52,000 in funding to the Baker Dearing Education Trust, to support a ‘new generation of health professionals’.
The funding will enable the trust to develop a two-year course for 14-19 year olds taking place at University Technical Colleges across the country. It aims to deliver hands-on learning for students seeking a career in computing and health sciences, and by working with local employers, students gain experience working on real-life problems.
The organisations hope that the funding will ensure that there are enough resources for the course to expand the pathway to more colleges.
“The Digital Health Pathways Project has shown to be a fantastic way for young people to gain skills and experience to set them up for a career in digital health,” said Patrick Mitchell, Director of Innovation, Digital and Transformation at HEE. “We hope that the funding being made available to the Baker Dearing Educational Trust will allow for the resources to be developed so many more young people around the country can have the opportunity to gain digital health skills in this way.”
Simon Connell, Chief Executive at Baker Dearing Educational Trust, commented: “There is a great need for a pipeline of homegrown talent into our healthcare sector to ensure patients continue to benefit from a world-class health service. In a modern NHS, improving health outcomes and preventing ill health is as dependent on our mastery of data as it is our access to the latest medicines.
“Young people are also keen to pursue careers in this area. Which is why this project will help encourage talented UTC students specialising in digital and health disciplines to consider careers with the NHS.
“An array of employer-led projects, competitions, and expert masterclasses is intended to demonstrate the sheer range of amazing opportunities within the NHS for young people with the right digital skills.”
