Head of Apprenticeships and Widening Participation

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented individual to join our friendly and supportive Learning & Organisational Development team at the Royal Marsden Hospital to lead and manage our apprenticeships and widening participation agenda and deliver the strategic aims as set out in our People Strategy which will support the delivery of the Trust's 5-year Clinical Strategy.

This role requires the creation of a range of entry routes that meet the needs of young people and those from diverse backgrounds which could include initiatives such as t-levels or supported internships. You will be supported in this role by a Senior Apprenticeships and Widening Participation Co-ordinator.

To be successful in this role you will need a strong background in leading apprenticeships across a complex organisation and have experience in creating innovative apprenticeship-based initiatives in line with workforce development priorities. It would be advantageous if you have also been involved in widening participation activities such as work experience, career promotion events and supported internships. You will need to be passionate about apprenticeships and widening participation, enjoy meeting new people, be creative and innovative, and have the necessary influencing skills, resilience and perseverance to encourage senior leaders to change their standard practice and adopt new ways of working., At The Royal Marsden we pride ourselves on the provision of high-quality education and training for our staff because we believe it underpins excellent care. The Trust's Learning and Development team is central to this, and we are looking for an exceptional Head of Apprenticeships and Widening Participation to join the team.

The post holder will take a Trust wide lead on the delivery of the strategic and operational objectives to embed and expand our apprenticeship offer, use apprenticeships to support career pathways and maximise the utilisation of the apprenticeship Levy. This role will expand the tangible benefits of apprenticeships to develop and upskill new and existing staff, build career pathways and help to address skills shortages and provide new routes into employment for specialist and difficult-to-recruit occupations across the Trust.

The post holder will also lead on the widening participation agenda by supporting community outreach work and create meaningful routes into careers in healthcare partnering with local schools, colleges and job centres. This will involve organising attendance at careers fairs, leading and expanding the Trust's Work Experience scheme, creating placements and internships to bridge the gap from work experience into employment and running recruitment campaigns for entry-level posts.

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.