Publish date: 5 March 2025
North East healthcare trust celebrates three award wins during national apprenticeship week
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating not one, but three award wins from both the University of Sunderland and Newcastle College apprenticeship awards.
The awards, along with National Apprenticeship Week, are dedicated to celebrating the achievements of apprentices and the positive impact they have on an organisation.
Bryan Baines, creative and digital design apprentice at Newcastle College, and Drew Mason, biomedical scientist apprentice from the University of Sunderland were both awarded ‘Apprentice of the Year’ for showing commitment to their programmes and an eagerness to learn more about the respective professions.
In addition to the two solo awards, the Health and Care Academy took home the ‘Employer of the Year’ award for its partnership with the University of Sunderland to deliver the trainee nursing associate (TNA) programme.
The first cohort of TNAs started their journeys at the Health and Care Academy last summer and they are just one of the programmes that the facility is planning to deliver.
Talking about his award win, Bryan said: “I was thrilled to receive this award as it is a recognition of my hard work and dedication to learning. I’m currently in the final year of my three-year degree apprenticeship and it’s allowed me to bring all my new skills back to the workplace to support the creation of learning-based content.”
Rebecca Fish, apprenticeship services manager, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for Drew and Bryan and they should both be incredibly proud of themselves. They have been an asset to their teams and this award reflects the positive impact they have had on the organisation. We wish them all the best as they continue to progress through their apprenticeships and further into their careers.”
Emma Dawes, the trust’s head of nursing, midwifery and allied health professional education and workforce development, said: “Our partnership with the University of Sunderland allowed us to transform the way we deliver training and development opportunities for our clinical workforce. The goal is for staff to be able to continue to progress their careers through the trust and the Health and Care Academy can support them from pre-registration right through to advanced levels.”
Apprentices are an asset to the trust’s workforce as they bring an eagerness to develop their skills to support patients and services.
The trust offers a variety of both clinical and non-clinical roles at different levels to support the growth and progression of its own staff. There are currently over 500 active learners working across 65 specialty qualifications, with the numbers continuously rising.
To learn more about our live vacancies visit our website and learn more about the Health and Care Academy here.
Media contact
Louise Alexander, social media and digital assistant
Louise.Alexander@northumbria-healthcare.nhs.uk