Throughout the Coronavirus outbreak, all of us have been blown away by the dedication and commitment of those on the frontline. Our nurses have inspired us, so much so that people looking up nursing careers on the NHS Website went up by 138% between March and June. That's why this week the Health Secretary and I, announced new funding of £172 million to double the nursing apprenticeships available - meaning we will be able to train up to 2,000 nursing apprentices every year for the next four years.
Nursing degree apprenticeships run as a four-year course covering several key healthcare fields; adult, children, mental health and learning disability. Once complete, students will qualify as fully registered nurses. This funding boost will support thousands of apprentices to gain the skills they need and earn while they learn. Apprenticeships are an excellent way for anyone from any background to kick start their career and reach their potential. They are available to those leaving education or those looking at nursing as a second career.
Locally, we have managed to secure funding from the Government to establish a new School of Nursing and Allied Health at Chichester University, which will work in partnership with St Richard’s Hospital. Once up and running the school will train 200 nurses and healthcare professionals every year, giving us a pipeline of talented people locally.
It's also a big week for all those finding out their A-level results, with GCSE results out next week. Although for the first time in living memory these grades will not be awarded for sitting an exam, they will still reflect each students performance as closely as possible. There has been a huge amount of work to ensure grades are fair, and proportionally similar to previous years - so they hold the same value.
As with every results day, some will be pleasantly surprised and others may be disappointed. That is why we have put in place a robust appeals process and every student can take the actual exams this autumn if they feel they could have done better on the day. We’ve also established a National Exam Results Helpline which will open from the 13th-28th of August on 0800 100 900. Students or their parents can call to speak with professionally qualified careers advisers to go through all their options – another great place to get advice and guidance on learning, training and work is the National Careers Service, www.nationalcareers.service.gov.uk
These results will mean every student who has worked towards their exams will not be disadvantaged. Instead, they will be able to move onto the next stage of their lives – be that college, university, an apprenticeship or the world of work. I wish everyone getting their results this week, and next, the best of luck.
