Three new courses to lay the foundations for a career in the health and care sector, are recruiting now at Forth Valley College.

The innovative short courses are some of the first to be offered through the Forth Valley University College NHS Partnership – which launched in October 2022 – the first formal regional partnership between a health board, university and college in Scotland.

FVC will be circulating details of these new courses to our school partners as they are expected to be an exciting option for senior phase pupils who are considering progression to a health or care course at college or university.

This ambitious collaboration between the College, the University of Stirling and NHS Forth Valley aims to improve patient care and treatment for communities across the region for years to come. Building on a long-standing relationship between the three institutions, it is working across four priority areas: learning, careers, research and innovation.

The partnership will deliver transformational change to the health and social care of the area through the delivery of new learning and development opportunities for students and staff, and become a nerve centre for world-class research and innovation developed to directly respond to the needs of local people.

The courses recruiting now include:

Prep for Care Practice – an online 110 hour learning course where students will work through a number of online interactive topics, aiming to prepare them for a further mainstream College course or career in the Care industry.

Introduction to Nursing – broken into two sections, this online course will focus on the Human Body and Numeracy. The initial part is designed as a preparatory unit for those wishing to learn about or brush up on their knowledge of the human body and offers a good grounding prior to studying a Nursing course at College or University. The second section will focus around numeracy, specifically within the Healthcare sector.

Introduction to a Career in Social Care – a brand new six-week, part time, online tutor-supported course, will introduce students to a career in Social Care, where opportunities are many and varied. The course has been designed for those who enjoy working with people, are compassionate, have a sense of fun and are seeking a new rewarding career helping others live their lives to the full.

All of these courses could lead on to full-time study on the HNC Healthcare Practice also offered at Forth Valley College and possible further progression to degree level study at the University of Stirling.

More information on all these courses and how to apply can be found here.

Professor Ken Thomson OBE, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “We are delighted to be offering these innovative new introduction courses, which can help to lead to more exciting opportunities within the care sector in Forth Valley. This new partnership between ourselves, the University of Stirling and NHS Forth Valley, is now providing access to new learning pathways, which will lead to employment within this sector.

“I am very proud of the College’s involvement in this partnership, as we are convinced it will support the regional workforce development. It will assist NHS Forth Valley to plan their future workforce requirements and make sure that Forth Valley College can help them ‘Make Healthcare Learning Work’ in Forth Valley for generations to come.”

Visit the Forth Valley NHS University College partnership website for more information.