Case Study: Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust attracts and retains young people with NHS Employers

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Customer Case Study

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, supported by NHS Employers, needed a better way to attract and retain local young people into roles at a time when unemployment in Greater Manchester was above the UK average. The challenge was to create an accessible pre-employment route for young people who might struggle with traditional recruitment processes, while also strengthening local recruitment and workforce diversity.

NHS Employers’ pre-employment programme (PEP) approach, delivered in partnership with Skills for Health, The Manchester College and Jobcentre Plus, combined classroom training, sector-specific learning, work placements, guaranteed interviews and post-programme support for clinical nursing assistant roles. The results were strong: between October 2012 and October 2015, 117 young people under 25 were offered places, 83 completed the programme, 66 were recruited into paid roles, and 54 were still working at CMFT. The trust also increased the proportion of 16–24-year-olds in band two roles from 12% to 14.2%, well above the NHS average of 6%.

Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust