New NHS cadet scheme aims to draw 10,000 young people into workforce

New £6m scheme aims to offer route into employment for less-advantaged young people

Thousands of young people are to be encouraged to sign up to a new cadet scheme funded by the NHS and St John Ambulance (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Thousands of marginalised teenagers are to be encouraged to join the health workforce in a new cadet programme launched to coincide with the NHS's 72nd anniversary.

People aged between 14 and 18 are to be given first aid and leadership skills training and volunteer opportunities in a £6m programme funded equally by the NHS and St John Ambulance.

Organisers hope that up to 10,000 young people will have enrolled by 2023, and are seeking teenagers from ethnic minorities, those not in employment, education or training – or at risk of becoming so – and others who might not have previously considered a career in the NHS.

The programme is being piloted in Colchester, Hull and London and will be rolled out to Liverpool, Bradford, Hertfordshire and the Wirral in the coming months, and aims to improve patient care while offering those who enrol a route into employment.

"The start of 2020 has been a challenging time for the NHS and its staff who have cared for 100,000 people with Covid-19 who needed specialist treatment and countless more besides, while working to redesign services and even build the Nightingale hospitals," said the NHS's chief nurse Ruth May.

"However, this would not have been possible without the help and support of countless individuals including volunteers who are already making an enormous contribution

"Volunteers could and should never replace nurses, doctors and other staff but since the NHS's foundation on July 5 1948 they have played a fantastic role in supporting clinicians and assisting patients and this initiative sits firmly in that tradition.

"By introducing an NHS cadets programme we are now offering young people a genuine opportunity to get a taste of what it's like to work in the best health service in the world."

There are around 131,000 cadets in England covering a range of areas such as policing and the military, while St John Ambulance has a network of 11,000 young volunteers,

"Young people thrive when they are given the chance to put into practice their skills and knowledge. At St John, we have been providing opportunities to do this with first aid for over 100 years," said Martin Houghton-Brown, St John Ambulance chief executive.

"This partnership with the NHS will create a new generation of young people motivated to learn more about health volunteering and social action. The unique hands-on experience that being a cadet provides will undoubtedly lead to many future healthcare professionals emerging.

"We are delighted to be focusing on young people to whom this may otherwise be unavailable, trusting them to care for others alongside NHS professionals."

Additional reporting by PA