RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING Domestic assistant, John Connor.
beneficial, not only to those directly involved, but also the wider community. However, seeing the impact that DFN Project SEARCH has on individuals each and everywhere is the most gratifying reward for the hard work and endeavour put into making it a success.
Delight at success
On each intake you see the progress that individuals make as they come on in leaps and bounds throughout the curriculum and work placement. Individuals and parents can often be protective and wary when it is explained what the project entails, but come the end of the year attitudes always change. Having seen the progress their own child has made in front of their eyes, that wariness has usually transformed into delight and pride at how their child has performed, and, as a result, at the end-of-year graduation ceremonies, we often get parents coming to tell us how much the project has changed their lives as much as their child’s. Key to the success of incorporating DFN Project SEARCH into the Trust, however, is how it has been the driving force behind plugging much-needed and vital gaps in the estates and facilities sector. Posts filled by interns are predominantly positions that would otherwise be difficult to recruit for because of what they entail. However, the skillset that many of the participants possess is a great fit for the vacant positions, and crucial to our Estates Team performing to its full potential. Ultimately, these are jobs that Trusts elsewhere, not running this scheme, are struggling to fill. The Nottingham course has been running for six years now, and I know from experience that a number of interns have gained full-time employment in ‘Estates’ as a result, which in turn has helped people kick-start their career. Mid Yorkshire has just completed its second year, and we are now on our way into our third, having been delighted with the initial results, while Stoke has also just wrapped up its first year, and produced six graduates, who have all gained roles within the Trust.
22 Health Estate Journal October 2019
Chance to ascend the ranks The impact on the Trust and the community, therefore, cannot be understated. The opportunity to come in and work with the NHS gives a foot on the ladder to a successful career, with the prospect of working up through the ranks. I have seen first-hand the benefits that DFN Project SEARCH can have, and believe that the faith I have put into the initiative has been vindicated by the results these courses have produced over the years that I have been involved. As a result, all three NHS Trusts that I have been involved with continue to support and provide the scheme.
As IHEEM continues the drive for greater equality and diversity in the industry, I believe that NHS Trusts up and down the country could benefit from DFN Project SEARCH being rolled out on a broader scale. By committing to DFN Project SEARCH you are committing to untapping the potential of a sometimes- forgotten workforce waiting to be utilised. You are also providing the opportunity and platform for someone who possesses all the necessary tools and traits to prosper, both in the workplace and wider society. DFN Project SEARCH has the power to bring the local community closer together, and to build bridges between institutions that may otherwise be detached. There is a less strain on recruitment, because you have ready- made candidates for positions who already have experience of working within the Estates business.
Recruiting for hard-to-fill roles The scheme continues to help to recruit in those hard-to-recruit areas, the Band 2 and Band 3 positions that are notoriously difficult to fill, and if we can get more and more Trusts committing to DFN Project SEARCH, it will in turn raise greater awareness and appreciation of what
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson is the deputy director of Estates, Facilities and IT for The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. With over 20 years’ experience working within the NHS, he is currently responsible for the operational delivery of numerous non-clinical support services, including Estates, Capital Projects, Medical Physics, PFI Management, Facilities Management, HSDU and Sterile Services, Health, Safety and Non-Clinical Risk Management, Fire Safety, and IT Services. His remit also covers the overall leadership, management, and development of staff employed within the Directorate’s responsibility. He also contributes to the effective corporate leadership and management of the Trust, and supports the director of Estates, Facilities and IT as a member of the Executive Team.
Bryony Walker is employed as an admin assistant in recruitment.
those with learning difficulties can bring to the workforce. Yes, they have got a disability, but that isn’t insurmountable when it comes to someone doing a great job. A wide-scale roll-out would help remove those stereotypes and ease those fears. It is widely agreed that employment improves health and wellbeing. Transitioning people from education straight into competitive employment will drive efficiencies across overburdened adult social care and health services throughout the country. Students are gaining competitive and transferable job skills and meaningful employment, and organisations gaining access to a new, diverse, and talented workforce with skills that match labour needs.
Such is the feedback and evident success of the scheme that I would urge and encourage other Trusts to get involved in DFN Project SEARCH. The results speak for themselves, both for the Trust and the participants, as we all reap the rewards. DFN Project SEARCH continues to grow, and it would be remiss for the estates sector to let this opportunity pass it by.
hej
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