Supporting Workforce Development for Health and Care Providers

Education Partnership North East (EPNE) is an Ofsted Outstanding rated college group comprising of Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College. With college campuses ranging from the borders of Scotland down to the Tees Valley, the group work with many of the region’s leading health and care organisations, supporting them to develop and nurture their workforces.

Over the last ten years, Education Partnership North East has established itself as one of the key providers of training to health and care organisations across the region.

EPNE work in partnership with a wide variety of organisations across the region, from large NHS Trusts to small organisations providing social care and everything in between.

Employer partners work across the full spectrum of the health and care sector, everything from acute medical care to mental health provision.
Peter Robertson, Head of Business Development at EPNE said: “Health and care is one of our key focus sectors. Through our experience of working with organisations in the sector, we have grown to understand the challenges employers face in recruiting and developing their staff.

“Our role as a further education college group is to support them, making sure they have staff with the skills they need in order to provide the best service they can. We have a solutions-based approach to working with employers in the sector and over time we have developed and refined a training offer that is flexible and, in many cases, funded.

“We cover everything from supporting organisations to recruit, including apprenticeships, to training their existing staff from Levels 1 to 5.”

Cumbria, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust are the largest provider of mental health care in the UK, with EPNE and the Trust having worked in partnership together for over 10 years.

Annette Connor, Apprenticeships and Career Developments Lead at the Trust said: “The Trust is committed to having a highly skilled workforce. We are also keen for staff to have access to courses and training that will allow them to progress their career.

“Over the years the College Group has supported many of our staff through training that has enhanced their skills and supported them to progress through the organisation. Education Partnership North East really do have a good understanding of the sector.”

Sunderland Care and Support strive to be a supplier of outstanding social and healthcare across the City of Sunderland. Faye Gregory-Smith, Business Manager at Sunderland Care and Support said: “We really value our relationship with the EPNE, we have worked in partnership together for many years and during this time, EPNE has trained thousands of our staff.

“The quality of the training is always first class and the models of delivery are flexed to suit the needs of our organisation. We trust the integrity of the College Group and this is what sets it apart from other training providers we have worked with in the past.”

If you’d like to know more about how EPNE can support in developing your staff, get in touch– https://educationpartnershipne.ac.uk/contact-us/.