Hospital celebrates Discovery Library apprentices

To mark this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, Plymouth's Derriford Hospital is highlighting some of the achievements of its past and present apprentices. The Discovery Library at Derriford Hospital is one location where a number of their apprentices have taken the next step in their career and found a permanent position with the Trust.

Starting her career with the Trust as an apprentice, Rachael Hoare has worked in a variety of roles, giving her the chance to learn more about the organisation and develop new skills. Determined to stay in the Trust, Rachael worked hard, doing more units required to complete the level 2 qualification and put herself forward for the level 3.

Rachael started her career with the Trust as an apprentice in the finance department in 2009 and her determination to stay and continue her development led to a number of placements and new experiences. After spending two months in recruitment, Rachael moved on to the next challenge in the Chief Executive’s office before gaining a permanent position at the Trust in the Discovery Library.

Here Rachael has excelled but she is still determined to improve her career prospects: “I decided to do my level 2 in Business Administration so I could gain a qualification whilst in full time employment. After completing this I got a permanent position in the NHS and recently I decided to take a level 3 apprenticeship and improve my prospects of staying in employment.”

Sarah Johns, Library Services Manager says: “Rachael’s previous roles in the Trust means that the library has gained an employee with a thorough knowledge of the organisation and valuable personal contacts which is a great support to the work of the team and to other team members. As a result, Rachael was able to adapt her skills very quickly to our working environment.

“She has a very positive attitude to learning and the application of learning and she is keen to use these skills to improve our working processes and enhance service delivery.”

Another success in the Discovery Library team is Benita Beeson who completed her apprenticeship in Business Administration level 3 in 2010 aged 38.

Looking back at her apprenticeship Benita recognises how it helped her progress: “Approaching a course like this can seem a bit daunting at first, but I welcomed the challenge and knew that it would be a good way forward for the future to develop my skills.

“The course gave me a fresh confidence within my job role, as well as new ideas for improvement. I enjoyed my course and felt that I gained so much for it. It has been very beneficial and rewarding to finally gain a qualification to cement all of it together.”

Sarah Johns can see how the apprenticeship programme has been valuable to Benita: “It was good to see Benita gain confidence through her apprenticeship and consolidate her experience in administration. The experience allowed to her to explore in depth the work processes of the service and she was able to bring about changes for the better for the whole team as a result of her study.

“The apprenticeship provided a way to formalise a great deal of varied experience into a recognised qualification and has provided a base on which Benita is hoping to build further professional development and qualifications.”

Opened in 2007 by top British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the Discovery Library at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has an Antarctic theme to its design reflecting Plymouth’s historical and current links with the region.

The library provides an academic environment with the resources to help train and educate those who care for patients, both in Derriford Hospital and throughout the Plymouth Health Community.

If you are interested in an apprenticeship at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust please contact Mandy Johnson, Learning and Development Trainer on 01752 437140.