Essex County Council and Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) will create a new digital platform to engage 1,500 new potential candidates interested in NHS opportunities, as part of a £610,000 investment in three inter-related projects.
Users will benefit from virtual bite-sized learning to support them through their job application, with the overall aim of radically simplifying the NHS application process.
The hope is to create a new generation of talented NHS professionals says the county council, which has engaged Essex-based e-learning company hundo to build the new system.
The company creates “virtual work experiences” that augment existing curriculums and equip students with the employment skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to thrive in the future of work.
Its platform, accessible via a student dashboard, integrates workplace-like collaboration and communication tools, allowing progress tracking, team updates, and skills mapping.
The other projects include:
- Extending the 'Southend Ambition 2050' programme to supports local job recruitment and training. This will now be open to Basildon, Canvey Island and rural Braintree residents and is planned to engage with at least 300 residents by 2025.
- Health Start - a pilot offering four months of paid work placement to disadvantaged young people, with the aim to raise aspirations and encourage future applications to NHS roles.
Earlier this year hundo provided Leeds City Council with an immersive careers expo which young job seekers could enter from anywhere on their laptop or phone and navigate by an avatar they could choose themselves.
