Employability

Is there a cost?

Our training is free to people within Birmingham & Solihull who meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Aged 18 and above
• Unemployed
• Living in Birmingham and surrounding areas
• Not currently attending Further or Higher Education
• Right to work in the UK

One of our Health Care Assistant (HCA) courses requires that you must be age 19 plus and to have lived in the UK for a minimum of three years. Please do not worry if you do not meet that eligibility as we have other HCA focused courses that only require that you meet our main eligibility criteria.

How do I register my interest?

Please follow the link below to register your interest in learning more about our employment training packages.’ Once you have completed this short form, we will contact you asap. 

• NHS Expression of Interest form

How does this training work?

We are offering you an exciting opportunity to gain employment skills and application support at University Hospitals Birmingham. In essence, programmes offer full support with your training and employment needs. 

What does the training include?

• Knowledge of the NHS as both a service provider and an employer
• Better understanding of the job opportunities and careers in the NHS
• Application & interview support
• Confidentiality
• Infection control
• Equality & Diversity
• Patient safeguarding
• Communication skills
• Pastoral support during and following training from our team of experienced educators and mentors. 

What experience or qualifications do I need?

Whilst you may require qualifications for certain NHS job roles, there are others where we only require a functional level of literacy and numeracy, so for that reason we hold our own assessments prior to training. There is also an important personal quality that we look for in all future employees: a caring nature.

For more information about entry-level job roles in the NHS, please see the links below for more information on specific Band 2 - 4 jobs roles. These links include information on specific job duties, personal qualities required, entry requirements and pay and conditions.

• Healthcare assistant | Health Careers
• Theatre support worker | Health Careers
• Radiography assistants and imaging support workers | Health Careers
• Administration | Health Careers
• Porter | Health Careers
• Housekeeper | Health Careers

What kind of wage can I expect?

Pay bands 2 - 4:

• Agenda for change - pay rates | Health Careers

Once I have submitted my details online, what will happen next? 

Once you have registered your interest, a member of our admin team will then contact you. We will check your eligibility with an aim to inviting you onto an online information session. This will provide you with the information you need to then decide if we offer the right training to suit your needs.

What if I do not use a computer, or cannot use the internet?

Just give us a call on the telephone and our friendly staff will tell you all about our training, as well as answering your questions:

• 0121 371 8600

Will I need to attend an interview?

If you do decide to train with us, we will need to have an informal talk with you to ensure that we understand each others needs and that we are providing the right training to suit your needs.

How long is the training you offer?

Depending on the course you’re booked onto, training is between 4 – 6 weeks. Certain programmes have the opportunity of a job interview upon satisfactory completion of training. Other courses are there to assist you with applying for the wide range of jobs advertised on NHS Jobs daily.

If you enrol onto a programme that does not have a job interview at the end of training, we provide a further remote assistance following completion of up to 16 weeks.

Once signed up for training with us, we will issue you with a schedule of all main training dates and attendance times.

Where does the training take place?

Our main centre is the Learning Hub at Queen Elizabeth Hospital with the address below but on occasion and course needs we may hold training on other sites.

Main address:

The Learning Hub
180 Metchley Lane
Birmingham
B15 2TA.

Can I work part-time?

We are keen to match people to the right roles for their situation. There will be a range of roles, including part-time. We will support and advise you on this issue during training and try to ensure we match you to vacancies that suit your needs.

Is there support for people with disabilities / health issues?

Yes. We encourage all applicants to share medical issues with us. We are then able to consider a range of reasonable adjustments and flexible working patterns for all roles.

Where will the jobs be based?

We are keen to recruit to our own hospital trust at University Hospitals Birmingham – Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Solihull, or Good Hope – but you can also apply to other NHS organisations.

All jobs are advertised online:

• NHS Jobs

Will I be required to work nights and weekends?

A hospital is a twenty-four hour a day service, so certain jobs do require you to work shift patterns. There are also other jobs that do not, so we need to talk with you on a personal basis to discuss your working needs and the work patterns of the kinds of jobs in which you are interested.