A team of committed Care and Administrative Practice students are now volunteering at the Forth Valley College Vaccination Centres.

NHS Forth Valley began delivering COVID-19 vaccinations at all three FVC Campuses in Falkirk (January) and Stirling and Alloa (February) earlier this year and have been steadily inviting thousands of people in to receive their jags – with the two millionth dose of the vaccine being administered in Scotland at the Stirling Campus in March.

A group of 20 HNC Care and Administrative Practice students on a special six month Fast Track course, have been accepted as volunteers at the vaccination centres, tying in as work placements for their course and providing them with relevant experience. NHS Forth Valley have been fully behind this course offering successful students a guaranteed interview for employment as Healthcare Support Workers upon completion.

Business and Communities Curriculum Manager Jane Muir, said: “Even though these HNC students only started their course in January they have shown a very high level of enthusiasm and dedication to their subject and potential future careers. So when the opportunity arose for them to get involved in the vaccination centres operated by NHS Forth Valley at our campuses, they jumped at the chance.

“We are all very proud of them as they are helping with an essential monumental national undertaking and we can’t thank NHS Forth Valley enough for providing the chance for them to see how the organisation operates up close.”

Feedback from the NHS Forth Valley Vaccination Centre co-ordinators has all been very positive and they have been delighted to offer this opportunity to Forth Valley College Healthcare students.

Jillian Taylor, Operational Lead for NHS Forth Valley’s Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, said: “We are delighted that these local healthcare students are supporting the ongoing roll out of our Covid-19 vaccination programme. Our staff really appreciate their support and working within our local vaccination centres provides a great opportunity to gain a wide range of practical skills and experience.”

The six month format of HNC Care and Administrative Practice course has been created through the East Central Scotland Colleges Collaboration – FVC, Fife, Edinburgh and West Lothian Colleges, Rest and Skills Boost range. It started January 2021 and will end in June the same year. Normally this course would cover a full academic year.

The Collaboration was launched recently to deliver skills and opportunities in Scotland to support the economic recovery from the downturn created by the Coronavirus pandemic and has produce a comprehensive skills programme designed to help meet the future needs of the Scottish economy.

For more information on the Skills Boost and Reset courses currently running at FVC visit the Forth Valley College website.