23 July 2020

Dorset Careers Live off to a flying start!

Dorset Careers Live off to a flying start

The first Dorset Careers Live webinar premiered on 14 July thanks to Dorset LEP, Dorset Careers Hub and Our Dorset, an NHS and council partnership of health and social care organisations.

Dorset Careers Live was attended by around 50 students, parents and carers keen to find out about Allied Health Professions. 

Helen Stevenson, Dorset LEP’s Dorset Careers Hub Lead, said: “This webinar was the first in a series of Dorset Careers Live events, developed by our Cornerstone Employer Group – a collection of key employers in Dorset. The series will aim to navigate career options, including apprenticeships, work experience schemes and graduate programmes within locally important sectors. Each webinar will explore the skills, qualifications and experience local employers’ value while providing opportunities for Q&A.”

“The healthcare sector employs 54,000 people in Dorset. We believe it is important to show young people multiple ways they can access careers in this area. With thanks to Our Dorset, five Allied Health Professionals volunteered to talk about their jobs, experience and career pathway.”

Allied Health Professions focus on prevention and improvement of health and wellbeing to maximise the potential for individuals to live full and active lives. Examples of AHP job types can found on the NHS website.

Hilary Hall, Dorset’s Lead Allied Health Professional, introduced the webinar. She said: “It’s great to see Dorset Careers Hub actively encouraging young people into becoming an Allied Health Professional. An Allied Health Profession is an incredibly important and extremely rewarding profession.

“My role within the webinar was to emphasise the importance of achieving qualifications via a traditional HE degree or degree-level apprenticeship alongside certification by the Health and Care Professions Council. I also wanted to encourage young people to gain broad experience inside and outside of school before applying to an Allied Health Profession course.”

Charlotte, a Therapeutic Radiographer at Poole Hospital, explained that her job is to treat cancer with radiation. She said: “Radiotherapy is a very rewarding career which allows you to build a great rapport with patients over the course of their treatment. This is an ideal career to consider for anyone who is interested in working with continually developing state of the art technology and also caring for people (plus we get given lots of cake).” Visit Radiography Careers for more on this career path.

Julie Dowdney, Head Orthoptist from Royal Bournemouth & Christchurch Hospital said: “Orthoptics may be small, but its mighty – I have employed five staff who are home grown – from careers evenings through qualification, right through to employment – and don’t forget that NHS bursary grants are available for these courses.”

Emma, a Dietitian for Dorset County Hospital, said: “Allied Health Professions are not limited to the NHS.  There are opportunities for dietitians to work in a clinical setting within the NHS or private practice, but also in the food industry, research, public health, sport or in the media. In any role, dietitians take pride in promoting evidenced based nutrition advice.”

Emma echoed her colleagues in the importance of achieving qualifications to become a registered Allied Health Professional. She recommended science-based subjects as a good foundation. Find out more about what a dietitian does on Twitter #whatdietitiansdo.

If you want to find out more about these professions or are interested in a career as an AHP, the webinar presentation is available to view here: Dorset Careers Live - An Introduction to Allied Healthcare

Future Dorset Careers Live webinars will include sectors key to Dorset’s economy. For all future Dorset Careers Live webinar announcements and general news follow Dorset Careers Hub on Twitter @DorsetCEC.

Notes to editors:

Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership is a business led private and public sector partnership, promoting local economic growth and prosperity. Dorset LEP deliver projects that support and develop infrastructure, housing, skills, enterprise and business growth to achieve long-term economic benefit for all in Dorset. For more information visit the Dorset LEP website http://www.dorsetlep.co.uk/

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