NHS Traineeships for Disabled Graduates
NHS TRAINEESHIPS FOR DISABLED GRADUATES
Following a successful first phase, a programme to give disabled graduates employment opportunities in NHS Scotland will be run for a second time.
The NHS Professional Careers Programme will offer 22 disabled graduates across Scotland the opportunity of a paid two year work experience placement and help them secure permanent employment at the end of the programme.
Launching the second round, Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman said:
“We are committed to delivering transformational change in the lives of Scotland’s disabled people. A key focus of our activity is tackling, head on, some of the barriers which prevent disabled people from gaining work experience leading to full-time professional careers.
“The NHS Professional Careers programme not only provides graduates with the opportunity to learn and develop the necessary skills to allow them to have an equal chance of competing in the labour market, it does so in a supportive environment which allows their talents to flourish.”
Added Patricia Gibson MP:
“We know from the results of the first cohort that programmes like this succeed. Of graduates who joined in 2015, six progressed into permanent employment, one was accepted onto a highly prestigious PhD course at Groningen University and 16 are in placement.
“If we are to deliver real change in the field of employment, the public sector must lead the way, so it’s great to see the NHS embrace the challenge and successfully help disabled people fulfill their potential.”
The programme is funded by the SNP Government and NHS boards and run by the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) Equality Academy.
Alan Lewis, a former graduate now employed as Partnership and Engagement Officer with NHS 24, commented:
“Being part of the programme has been an extremely enriching and inspirational experience, which has opened up many doors for future employment. I thoroughly recommend this to any disabled graduates looking for support and direction to take their career to the next level.”
For more information on the Professional Careers Graduate Traineeship is available on the GCIL Equality Academy website.
