FUTURE WORKFORCE AND STEM


Focus on succession planning in IHEEM’s 5-Year Business Plan


‘Core Objective 3’ in IHEEM’s recently published 5-Year Business Plan is ‘to encourage the next generation of engineers and healthcare estates and facilities management (EFM) leaders’, by: n Working with branches to facilitate the development of an NHS national apprenticeship programme based on a standardised model that can be adopted by providers;


n Developing a programme of workshops linked to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects for Year 7 and 8 secondary school students;


n Reviewing and expanding a register for all professional specialist EFM services, including Authorising Engineers.


Monira Kaouech presenting a workshop at Trinity Catholic College.


“As part of IHEEM’s Five Key Themes and Business Plan, we are arranging these workshops, with the aim of holding them in different parts of the country. In the future, we may well initiate other STEM- related activities, but the ‘People Like Me’ workshops are ‘tried and tested’, and are being used by other STEM Ambassadors. IHEEM has the advantage of being able to supply ‘role models’ from its membership. Not all of the role models were from the healthcare engineering and healthcare estate management field; some of the ‘collaborative planning team’ brought along professionals from their own field, such as civil engineering.”


Positive responses


Going through the various schools/ colleges visited, and focusing on the level of enthusiasm and reception given to the workshops, plus the number of students who said they were now considering a career in the ‘STEM’ area: n at Longfield Academy, 21 Year 9 students ‘engaged’, with 95 per cent enjoying the workshop, and 76 per cent ‘considering a career in STEM’;


n at Saltburn Learning Campus, 27 Year 9 students engaged, 93 per cent enjoyed the workshop, and 30 per cent said they would now consider a career in STEM;


n at High Tunstall College of Science, 55 Year 10 students engaged, 95 per cent enjoyed the workshop, and 85 per cent said they were now considering a career in STEM;


n at St Michael’s Catholic Academy, 36 Year 11 students engaged, with 97 per cent enjoying the workshop, and 67 per cent considering a career in STEM;


n at Trinity Catholic College, 17 Year 10 students engaged, 89 per cent enjoyed the workshop, and 82 per cent said they were considering a career in STEM.


Overall, 156 students from five boroughs took part, with 13 role models, and eight workshops. In total, 70 per cent said that,


42 Health Estate Journal May 2020


The 5-Year Business Plan states: “It is now widely recognised that there is an ongoing engineering skills gap in the UK. Future generations of able, enthusiastic and suitably qualified professionals are vital to the efficient running and maintenance of healthcare facilities. IHEEM has successfully raised awareness of the need within the sector, and the NHS Long Term Plan clearly sets out the important role of the healthcare estates workforce as key enablers in the success of that plan.


“IHEEM is therefore committed to encouraging and incentivising talented people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly school-leavers and undergraduates, into the healthcare engineering profession, to innovate and add value to the profession, as well as to fill the expected shortfall in numbers. It will engage with students at the right stage to influence their educational and vocational choices and prospective career path development. As part of the wider workforce planning agenda, IHEEM will support the career development of members who have not had the advantage of formal training and/or qualifications, but are able to demonstrate that they have the necessary competences, through working evidence, to achieve professional engineering status via the Engineering Council UK approved ‘non-standard’ route.”


Key outputs set


Key outputs set out include: n Developing a formal programme to prepare members for, and support them through, a non-standard, individual route to accreditation;


n Taking a staged approach to develop and deliver a national accredited IHEEM apprenticeship framework, based on an existing successful model, with appropriate funding and long-term partners;


n Where appropriate, match funding financial commitments for apprenticeship places by NHS Trusts to increase the number of available places across wider geographical boundaries;


n Developing and launching a National Bursary programme with financial support from industry;


n Appointing an Apprentice Champion for each IHEEM Branch; n Exploring the potential to develop apprentice initiatives with training providers; n Providing healthcare estates apprentices with free IHEEM membership, and attendance at the annual Healthcare Estates Conference, where there will be an Apprentice Zone with a dedicated programme of speakers;


n Establishing a platform that allows Company Affiliates to advertise graduate schemes / apprenticeships through IHEEM, and


n Delivering a programme of workshops for schools aligned to the ‘People Like Me’ initiative that will allow engagement with students aged 14/15.


following the workshops, they were considering a STEM career. Participants’ comments included:


n “I liked the ‘People like me’ test.” n “It was good to hear multiple people’s choices, and where to go from school.”


n “The personalities quiz was quite interesting.”


n “Very impressive and helpful. Extremely good advice for future career choices.” n “I found the fact that the NHS pays


for a lot/most things during an apprenticeship interesting.”


Stimulating discussion


Monira Kaouech said: “The aim of the workshops and role model discussion was to stimulate some interesting discussion among the participating students, and to get them really thinking about how their traits and particular strengths could be put to good use in a variety of STEM


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