Digital Academy in partnership with NHS Ambassadors inspire a new generation for NHS75

To mark NHS75, colleagues from the Digital Academy attended a careers event with University Technical College (UTC) students in Sheffield.

To mark the 75th birthday of the NHS, the Digital Academy partnered with Education and Employers, inviting 20 NHS Ambassadors to talk to year 8 and 9 students in Sheffield about their potential careers working in digital, data and technology (DDaT) and hosting various digital and data themed workshops. Other key health sector partners involved in the event included NHS Health Careers and FastFutures.

The Digital Academy recognised that the 75th anniversary of the NHS was the perfect opportunity to inspire its future workforce and broaden students' understanding of the range of jobs they can aspire to in the NHS in DDaT careers. The event was hosted by UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a school dedicated to educating young people in Computing, Sport Science, Health and Social Sciences. Sheffield UTC is also the lead UTC on Digital Health Pathways programme pilot, support by the Digital Academy.

The day began with our Senior Responsible Owner, James Freed, delivering the opening speech, which focused on the growing number of digital and data roles in the NHS. James reflected on the role young people will play in ensuring the NHS is fit for the future, by employing those with the skills and knowledge for DDaT roles.

Following on from this, the UTC students had the opportunity to speak to NHS Ambassadors to learn more about the variety of roles available in the NHS, such as project management. Students took part in speed networking sessions with ambassadors and experienced workshops which demonstrated the use of exciting technology in the NHS, such as how Virtual Reality (VR) headsets are used to train the health and care workforce.