Early Careers Strategy shortlisted for HR Excellence Award

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in News on 16th October, 2024

Congratulations to Jo Horne, Apprenticeship Development Manager, and Pauline Champion, Early Careers and Volunteer Coordinator, for being shortlisted for the Best Early Careers Strategy category at the HR Excellence Awards. Jo and Pauline developed and deliver the Trust's Early Career and Widening Participation programme, and their efforts have made DPT one of seven organisations nationally to be shortlisted.

Jo and Pauline commented on the news: “We are both passionate about maximising the potential of everyone we come into contact with, whether through external outreach events, our support interns, T-level students, or volunteers, and we are proud to be recognised for that. We are also hugely grateful to all of our Devon Partnership NHS Trust NHS ambassadors who share their passion for their roles and career journeys with the wider public.”

The HR Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievements and innovations within the UK's HR profession across a wide range of industries.

Recognising organisations and individuals that demonstrate exceptional commitment to best practices, the shortlist highlights nominees in diverse categories, showcasing their contributions to employee engagement, talent development, diversity, and overall HR excellence.

Sally-Ann Turner, Head of Resourcing, said: “I was delighted to nominate Jo and Pauline for this prestigious award. They are both highly committed to widening participation and early careers at DPT. Their enthusiasm encourages lots of staff to get involved in a wide range of events and initiatives, attracting people to so many different career opportunities at DPT. I wish them every success on 3 December.”

Our Widening Participation and Early Careers Strategy, part of the Trust’s Workforce and Resourcing Plan, ensures that the future healthcare workforce is representative of the communities we serve and optimises the pipeline to our future workforce.

Key milestones and objectives for the strategy include:

• Raising awareness about a range of career opportunities in mental health, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity.
• Providing employment and development opportunities for under-represented individuals, helping them realise their potential and, in doing so, reducing cultural, social, and economic disadvantage. These groups include young people, those without qualifications, low-skilled, part-time and temporary workers, those on low incomes or working-age benefits, older adults, individuals with literacy, numeracy, or learning difficulties, and some minority ethnic groups.
• Challenging stigma related to mental health, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity, including reaching out to those who may have used our services.
• Supporting entry-level vacancies with clear career progression via apprenticeships to help individuals reach their potential and fill nursing vacancies, providing excellent patient care.

Despite their small team, Jo and Pauline have embraced our Widening Participation and Early Careers Strategy, exceeding every milestone for 2023-24, as outlined in DPT’s Workforce and Resourcing Plan.

The ceremony will take place on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at The Brewery in London.