Funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has helped the Forth Valley University College NHS Partnership launch a project to make a real difference to the careers of students from a wide range of backgrounds, who may have had a disruption to their education, work experience and career journey so far.

The Career Ambassador Project will match a selected Forth Valley College student with a designated NHS Volunteer Ambassador from the NHS Forth Valley Workforce, who will become an enthusiastic and positive role model, encouraging their mentee to recognise the wide range of employment opportunities existing in the Forth Valley health service.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a key part of the UK Governments’ funding and a grant of £90,000 was awarded to the project via a competitive grant process managed by Stirling Council.  This will enable the project to run Until March 2025.

Already, since the project started, 23 FVC students have been matched up with an Ambassador from NHS department areas such as Business, Administration, IT, Health Improvement, Planning, Human Resources, Estates and Catering.

The pairs are set to meet up at least four times in one-to-one sessions, workshops and site visits. Advice and guidance will be offered by the Ambassadors and it is hoped the pairs will develop a positive connection, and work together to focus on potential and transferable skills and Meta-skills development.

Ambassadors have taken part in training provided by both FVC and The Scottish Mentoring Network, for which they will receive an accredited qualification. Anyone – students or potential NHS Ambassadors who feel they could benefit from this project are welcome to get in touch to find out more careerambassadorproject@forthvalley.ac.uk

Stirling Council leader, Cllr Chris Kane, pictured here at FVC’s Stirling Campus, celebrating the work of the Career Ambassador Project recently, said: “It is great to see the breadth of support that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will provide to local businesses, people and communities.

“The funding will support those people and organisations with the greatest needs, ensuring that opportunities to develop and grow are available to all.

“Programmes such as The Career Ambassador Project will make a real difference to the careers of students from a wide range of backgrounds, who may have had a disruption to their education or work experience.

“It will allow them to benefit from the wisdom, knowledge and enthusiasm of our Forth Valley healthcare workforce and provide inspiration, guidance and, ultimately, employment opportunities in one of the most important sectors in our society.”

Alison Harris, Career Ambassador Project Co-ordinator, based at Forth Valley College, said: “We are excited to lead this innovative project that engages students from diverse curriculums and subjects. The enthusiasm and passion of all participants has been evident from the outset, and we look forward to witnessing how our students will grow and pursue their future aspirations with the support and guidance of their matched NHS Forth Valley Ambassador.”

Laura Geoghegan, FVC’s Widening Participation Manager, said: “We are really excited to work alongside our NHS partners to provide our students with tailored career mentoring support.  Some of our students have limited support networks and the project will provide them with ongoing support, mentorship and workplace experiences helping to develop key employability skills.”

Noelle MacKay, NHS Forth Valley Employability Manager, said: “This programme offers NHS Forth Valley a unique opportunity for staff across the organisation to engage with our future workforce, in a way that that is both enjoyable and supportive.

“We hope the students will benefit from learning more about what NHS Forth Valley has to offer them as potential employees in a diverse range of roles. Our ambassadors are staff who are passionate about their roles and committed to supporting and positively influencing the career choices these students make.

“The programme is delivered as a series of conversations which allows a positive rapport to be developed where staff and students are able to enjoy learning from each other in a relaxed and informal way. I’m very much looking forward to following the progress of all our ambassadors and students as the programme develops.”

Pauline Jackson, FVC’s Development and Fundraising Manager, said: “We were delighted to be awarded funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and although the Ambassador project is in its early stages, it is already having a positive impact and adding value for our learners through raising awareness about opportunities across the NHS.”

The Forth Valley University College NHS Partnership, which launched in October 2022, is the first formal regional partnership between a health board, university, and college in Scotland. Building on a long-standing relationship between the three institutions, it works across four priority areas: learning, careers, research, and innovation.

It aims to deliver transformational change to the health of the area through the delivery of new learning and development opportunities for students and staff working across local health and care services.

The collaboration brings together the organisations’ unique wealth of knowledge, expertise, and experience to create a nerve centre for world-class research and innovation. It also directly responds to the needs of local people by reaching into a wide range of settings – from hospitals, health centres and social care settings to care homes and classrooms.

Visit the Forth Valley NHS University College partnership website for more information: https://fvnhsuniversitycollege.org.

Photo taken by Whyler Photos on behalf of Stirling Council.