Aspire NewsletterIntroduction

Welcome to the February edition of our Aspire@BCH newsletter!

Aspire@BCH aims to support young people in getting the skills and experience needed to enter the world of work and this newsletter will keep you informed of all the latest news and events, as well as letting you know about current opportunities at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It also aims to keep our staff up-to-date with the latest projects our Aspire@BCH team are working on.

To make sure you do not miss out on any of our editions, please email Team.Aspire@bch.nhs.uk to subscribe to the electronic versions of our newsletter.

‘Aspire@BCH helped, inspired, motivated and changed me. What will

Aspire@BCH do for you?’

We recently held our 2015 Intern Open Day here to advertise our new internship roles that are available to apply for as part of our internship programme. The students who attended had the chance to meet our current interns and find out about their experiences in their various roles. They also received tips on filling out their application forms and preparing for the interview. The students then had the opportunity to have a tour around the hospital and learn more about the roles that would be available to apply for this year. We wish them all the best with their applications!

The closing date for the posts will be Tuesday 14 April 2015 and interviews will take place in July.The provisional start date for the internships will be Monday 14 September 2015.

Applications and details of these positions can be found on: www.jobs.nhs.uk

Below are the roles that are available to apply for this year:

Aspire Assistant (Education) - this role is also open to placement students

Patient Pathways Project Assistant

Project Assistant (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, CAMHS)

Corporate Nursing Intern

Staff Experience Intern (Education)

Operational Project Intern

Data Analyst (Pharmacy)

Pharmacy Academic Practice Unit

Quality Improvement (Governance)

Graduate Intern Open Day

Aspire@BCH | Steelhouse Lane | Birmingham | B4 6NH0121 333 8604 www.aspireatbch.com

Third Edition

February Edition

University of Birmingham Events

Applying for an InternshipNatasha Kerven is an Internship Officer at the University of Birmingham. She shares her advice and tips on internship success.

An internship is a key milestone on the road to a graduate job, helping you develop the experience and skills that employers want in addition to your degree. Research by High Fliers is consistently showing that internships are becoming standard practice for top employers who wish to recruit new graduates. Whether an internship is undertaken during your degree or after graduation it can be a great way to make the transition from university into the working world.

Start Early

It can take more time than you think to secure an internship. Many employers like to recruit early and will advertise their roles months in advance. Check internship websites regularly as new opportunities are added every week. Use your university’s careers service. The University of Birmingham has a database of 1000s of opportunities.

Research

Before applying, research the company first. This could be through attending an employer presentation on campus

or open day, looking at the company’s website and social media or reading news articles they are mentioned in. Make sure you get a real understanding of the company you want to apply to.

Get it Checked!

Before you make an application, get someone else to check it through. Generic applications that haven’t been tailored, spelling and grammatical errors are all common reasons why applicants are unsuccessful.

Network and get involved!

During your internship, make the most of your experience by getting involved in different projects and meeting new people. You never know who or what could lead to your next job. Keep a record of all the things you do on your internship as this will be very useful when it comes to writing future job applications or talking about your experience at interviews.

And finally… plan ahead for what you will do after your internship. Reflect on what you have learnt, apply for graduate jobs early and make the most of the contacts you have built up.

Our interns supported two of the University of Birmingham’s events recently.

Alicia Pearce attended the Public Service Academy event, which was a chance for the students to find out about our internships. Alicia said “The interest and enthusiasm from the students was brilliant; many of whom came to our Open Day on 10th February. It was a great event and I was very proud to share my experiences at BCH to prospective interns!”

Samantha Farnworth, Saiful Islam and Lucy Harrison also attended the Careers Lab event to showcase the Aspire@BCH programme, in particular the internship programme which both students and university departments alike showed a great interest in!

Intern QuizBelow is a quiz to test your knowledge on internships here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital! How many can you get right? Answers can be found at the back of the newsletter.

1) What is an intern?

2) How long is an internship here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital?

3) We have interns across many different departments. How many interns are currently employed here?

4) Our interns are paid the living wage. How much is the living wage?

February Edition

Aspire@BCH Schools ForumAspire@BCH would like to welcome schools to participate on a Schools orum.The Schools forum will be an opportunity for Aspire, its partners and other NHS Trusts to find out directly from Schools how we can all support their pupils.It will be an opportunity for Schools to shape opportunities to meet their needs and will act as a networking hub between schools, NHS Trusts and local businesses.Come along and find out all about the range of opportunities available, and hear from some of our guest speakers from HeathTec, and UTC Health Futures all about the exciting opportunities and projects available.

When: Thursday 26 February 2015, 5pm-6pm at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane To attend please email: team.aspire@bch.nhs.ukRefreshments will be provided.

Latest NewsApprenticeship Day

On Thursday 19 January, Aspire@BCH held its first ever Apprenticeship Day here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for 22 students from Heartlands Academy.

The students spent a day here learning about the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship, with sessions and activities delivered by staff from various departments, including Education and Learning, Therapies, Fundraising and Facilities. Walsall College also delivered a session. The feedback from the students was very positive, as they enjoyed the various sessions and the tour of the hospital and found the event informative, as they “learned a lot about the different kinds of apprenticeships on offer” and several are “now considering applying for one”. We wish them all the best with their futures whatever they decide to do!

Health Practical Skills Day

On Tuesday 3 February, we had 15 students from Year 7 at Perry Beeches School here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for our Health Practical Skills Day.

The students spent the day here learning more about the various careers within the NHS. BCH staff from Fundraising, Resuscitation, Infection Control and Neurophysiology brought along lots of different types of equipment for the students to have a go at using. HealthTec also went through a CRASH scenario with the students. These sessions gave the students an insight into the types of skills that are required by medical staff within the NHS.

The students really enjoyed their time here and said “they learnt a lot of things, particularly what to do in an emergency’”and one said “this was the best trip ever!”

We really enjoyed having the students here and hope they found the day inspiring!

University of Birmingham’s Careers Network is a careers service which is open to all students. We spoke to Jenny Mullins-White, a Careers Consultant from the University to ask for her advice on choosing a career and applying for internships.

Jenny works with students training to be doctors, nurses, dentists, as well as students wanting to work in health and science and many more areas! Her role is to support them in the application process for their career, such as working on creating an effective CV, interview techniques and deciding which medical speciality to pursue.

Jenny has supported Aspire@BCH’s Work Experience programme, by talking to the students about the range of careers available in Health. Most of the students attending are amazed that there are over 350 different roles! We asked about the support she offers to young people.

Why do you work with Aspire@BCH?

I think most people will know someone’s child/family who has been supported by the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and I’ve always been impressed by their highest standard of care and their commitment to all young

people. I know how important work experience is, especially when you are looking at choosing a career and I was impressed by what BCH had created with Aspire. It’s a great programme! Their work experience really helps them to understand about the roles, as well as their own strengths and motivations.

How do you think our internship programme can benefit graduates?

Many graduates are keen to develop practical skills in the work place and want to make a difference in what they do. They see the hospital as a great organisation to learn about the various roles and how the non-clinical roles work in partnerships with the clinical work, for the best for children and their families.

What advice do you have for someone choosing their career?

Always look for work experience and a chance to talk to lots of different people about the jobs that they do. Find you what the best (and worst!) parts of their job are, and what advice they have. Be open to lots of ideas and make sure you look at the training/subjects required. Be positive, look at what you are good at and what motivates you. This will give you an idea of the types of careers that may use you talents and your passion. A job will be a major part of your life so it’s important that you find something you enjoy doing!

Our Partners

February Edition

Top Tweets

The Health Futures University Technical College (UTC) offers 14-19 year olds career-focused education in healthcare and health sciences and will open a brand new multimillion pound college in the region in September 2015. They will be holding two Open Days in March including one event here at Birmingham Children’s Hospital! So if you are in Year 9 or 11 and are interested in a career in healthcare or health sciences, come along to the Open Days to find out more about their curriculum and how to apply.Monday 2 March 2015 - Birmingham Council HouseSaturday 14 March 2015 - Birmingham Children’s Hospital, 10am-2pm

Health Futures UTC Open Days

Working for us

Every year, Aspire@BCH supports the recruitment of graduates onto our own internship scheme. The scheme gives young people the opportunity to experience the world of work, focussing on key projects that will give them a range of experiences and skills.

February Edition

What is your role and what does it involve?

I am a Project Assistant working with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). My role involves assisting the service managers with ensuring that the service runs smoothly, as well as working on a number of projects around performance and service improvement.

What attracted you to this role?

I applied to this role as I wanted some hands on experience of working in the NHS and to learn more about the role of managers in how it is run. I was interested in CAMHS because mental health is just as important as physical health and I was really excited to hear how things are moving forward with mental health provision in Birmingham.

What previous experience and qualifications do you have?

I have recently graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Geography. I volunteered for Nightline whilst I was at university which is a listening service for students; this exposed me to some of the difficulties experienced by people around mental health. My only previous experience of the NHS was working as a receptionist at a GP practice.

What do you like about working for Birmingham Children’s Hospital?

I love working for BCH because of the commitment to staff as well as our patients. Even in my short time here I have been really encouraged and supported by the team I work with, and really inspired by their attitude to what they do and the time and effort that they put into everything!

What are your future plans and has your experience here affected them?

In the future I would like to stay in the NHS, as my experience at BCH so far has been challenging but also really rewarding. It has shown me that I can make a difference and I am really proud to be part of the team here.

What would you say to other people considering applying for an internship?

I would really encourage anyone considering applying to do it. It is a fantastic opportunity to learn by doing and BCH offers such good support whilst you’re here. Make the most of the chance!

“Lucy is fantastic and has made a significant contribution to the CAMHS team. She is always positive and enthusiastic about her work and in particular has transformed the way we communicate with our staff in community sites; introducing staff feedback sessions with homemade cakes and a weekly newsletter which staff really appreciate. The intern programme has given us the opportunity to develop tomorrow’s leaders who enact the Team BCH values.” - Anne Cheatham who is the CAMHS Deputy Associate Service Director and has worked closely with Lucy.

We are currently recruiting for the 2015 internship programme. If you want to become one of our next interns, please visit our website for details of the postions available, or www.jobs.nhs.uk to apply.

Lucy Harrison started her internship in September 2014 as a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Project Assistant. Here is what she has to say about her time here.

Spotlight on a Youth Ambassador

We have been recruiting our staff to become Youth Ambassadors, who work with us to help introduce young people to the world of work. 70 members of staff have already become Youth Ambassadors and they are all passionate about supporting young people and show their support by assisting with work experience placements and events.

Natalie Williams is one of our Youth Ambassadors and we asked her how she is finding the role.

What is your job role at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and what does it involve?

I am a Patient Experience Administrator. This involves going around wards to collect surveys that patients and parents have filled in about how they feel about hospital care, inputting the data from surveys and holding a monthly event to meet with parents about their experiences at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

What qualifications did you need for this role?

I completed my A Levels and a Diploma in Leadership and Management Skills.

Have you participated in any Aspire events or assisted with work experience yet?

I supervised a young person for a work experience morning as part of the Aspire@BCH Structured Work Experience Week. I showed her my role and also what the other members of the team do within the department.

What experience or knowledge can you offer a young person?

The various job roles I have had and what I have learnt from them. I can also provide them with information on how the working environment is different to the school/college environment.

Why did you become a Youth Ambassador? What benefits do you get from it and why do you think other staff should get involved?

I became a Youth Ambassador as I want to help young people realise their potential and help them find the career they want or help them with whatever they need. You benefit by seeing a young person who is happy to

learn that they have support. It is also a great way to meet other staff who share the same interest.

Do you have anything else you would like to say?

I highly recommend being a Youth Ambassador as you are helping the next generation. They really appreciate the support and people taking time for them.

February Edition

Supporting UsYouth Ambassadors agree to do their best to champion the Aspire@BCH Work Experience and Career programmes at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

For more information on what our Youth Ambassadors do or if you want to become a Youth Ambassador yourself, please contact us at Team.Aspire@bch.nhs.uk.

Below are a number of upcoming events our current Youth Ambassadors can get involved with:

Health Futures UTC Open Day at BCHSaturday 14 MarchStructured Work Experience Week

Monday 30 March - Thursday 2 April

February Edition

E-Mentoring for PatientsAre you a patient at Birmingham Children’s Hospital? Are you aged 14-18? Do you want personal advice about your future? Aspire@BCH in partnership with Brightside is excited to announce the launch of our new innovative mentoring programme!

The Aspire Online Mentoring project is designed to help you explore over 300 careers that are available in the NHS. You would be matched with a mentor that works in your area of interest. This could be with someone in a frontline clinical role, or someone from an office in departments such as accountancy or estates management. These mentors are from a diverse range of backgrounds, study various subjects and are committed and enthusiastic about working with young people.

You would be able to exchange messages with your mentor through a safe and secure website. Your mentor would answer your questions and provide an insight into what their role really entails, as well as giving you advice on the educational routes they took to get there. Your mentor would also help you to develop study and employability skills. The mentoring website also features activities and other resources about working in the NHS developed by Brightside, and you and your mentor can work through together, giving you structure and support throughout your mentoring relationship.

This opportunity is available for a limited time only. Please ensure you apply as soon as possible if you are interested in taking part.

If you are interested in applying or want to download the mentoring schedule please visit our website. If you want more information on the project and what being a mentee would involve, please email Yasir.Iqbal@bch.nhs.uk

The Big Hoot

We are very excited to announce that a major project with an international profile is coming to the UK’s second city.

The Big Hoot is delivered inpartnership with Wild in Art and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. It is a large-scale, mass appeal public art event designed to communicate the best of Birmingham’s art, heritage and culture to the widest possible audience. In summer 2015 over 100 large (6ft) owl sculptures will be decorated by artists and community groups to create a trail across the city for 10 weeks. These sculptures will then be auctioned off to help raise funds for the Children’s Hospital, which will enable us to benefit the next generation of children across the region.

Integral to the main event is The Big Hoot Schools Programme sponsored by the Schools of King Edward VI in Birmingham. This innovative programme will feature up to 150 owlet sculptures (90 cm tall) that will decorated by schools throughout the city. Teachers can link the design and decorating process to the curriculum in various subjects at KS1-4; there is also scope to embed Arts Awards and Health & Wellbeing messaging within the programme by using the specially developed Creativity Pack. The owlet sculptures will be displayed alongside the main trail and then schools get to keep them afterwards. Twit-twoo!

We have 90 schools signed up so far and spaces are going fast and so make sure your school doesn’t miss out by emailing education@wildinart.co.uk before the end of February!

Upcoming EventsHealthTec Work Related Work Experience Monday 27 April - Friday 1 May 2015

www.healthtec.org.uk

The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair, The NEC, BirminghamWednesday 11 March - Saturday 14 March 2015www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/About_Us/

Future Leaders Club - “Applying the Principle of Integrity”Saturday 14 March 201511am-2pmThe Future Leaders Club is a personal development membership network for ambitious people, supporting our diverse community.Register here for your free ticket: www.eventbrite.co.uk

Aspire@BCH Campaign Group Performing Arts EventSaturday 14 March 2015, Birmingham Children’s Hospital1pm-3pm

Birmingham Digital Week 2015Saturday 14 - Friday 20 March 2015It provides an exciting schedule of often free events aimed at developing digital skills, sharing knowledge and creating networking opportunities for the city’s digital sector. Each day is themed. Book your tickets here: www.bbc.co.uk Closing Information

Our next newsletter will be out in April.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or have any suggestions for content for the next one, then please contact Jodie Carpenter at Team.Aspire@bch.nhs.uk.

Web: www.aspireatbch.comTwitter: @Aspire_at_BCHFacebook: www.facebook.com/aspireatbch1Email: Team.Aspire@bch.nhs.uk Phone: 0121 333 8604

February Edition

Young Persons GroupThe Young Persons Group is an opportunity for the Aspire@BCH team to engage with the very young people we are aiming to help, to produce the services and resources most likely to help them.

This month, the Development Group have been looking at our online Careers Zone to see what information young people want and need about their career choices and what is the best way to present this information to make it an engaging as possible. During the session, the group made some careers posters on various NHS jobs including, an audiologist and a radiographer. These are up around the hospital so keep an eye out for them!

Our Campaign Group are busy working on their event, which will involve musical and spoken word performances and promote the work of Aspire. This will be alongside the Health Futures UTC Open Day here at the hospital on Saturday 14 March. Anyone is welcome to come along, so please attend to support the event. We look forward to seeing you there!

Intern Quiz Answers

1) A student or trainee who works, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification.

2) 48 weeks

3) 19

4) £7.65 per hour