Leeds City College launches apprenticeship for young people going into a rapidly changing community health and well-being sector

It has launched a bespoke community health and wellbeing worker apprenticeship standard that will aim to improve health, prevent ill-health, and reduce inequalities in the West Yorkshire region.

The college, which is part of the Luminate Education Group, will be the first in the country to deliver the apprenticeship with plans to deliver it remotely in the coming months.

The12 month Level 3 programme will provide learners with a practical and affordable opportunity to develop their skills, while giving employers leeway to train their existing workforce in line with their company goals.

The trailblazer group was set up over 12 months ago and the college has been working in partnership with employers including the London Borough of Greenwich Brighton, Hove City

Council, Cambridge, and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS).

how this has drastically changed as a result of the pandemic.

“This new apprenticeship comes at a time where concerns have been raised that mental health and care services may not reopen as before. It will be an opportunity to restore

confidence within the community and prepare learners for the long-term, especially when in- person services are reinstated.

“Community health and wellbeing workers are a fast-growing workforce that will support the increasing emphasis on improving the health of local people and communities, and we want

to work with organisations such as the NHS and local government to ensure that learners looking to progress in this area in the sector are equipped with the knowledge and skills to

carry out their duties effectively.”

Community health and wellbeing workers work in partnership with individuals and their communities to identify and address health and wellbeing needs, as well as inequalities.

The apprenticeship comes at a crucial time when mental health issues have risen by more than a quarter, with 60 per cent of adults and 68 per cent of young people saying that their mental health got worse during lockdown.

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, almost 400,000 children and 2.2m adults sought help for mental health problems during the pandemic, with 1.68m more

mental health sessions delivered over the past year compared with the year before.

Last year, the college became one of six providers in the North East and Yorkshire region to be awarded several apprenticeship standards, including the healthcare cleaning operative and health play specialist apprenticeship.

This new development also comes just weeks after Leeds City College secured funding, as part of the Post-16 Capacity Fund Application 2021-22, to develop an additional building at its Printworks campus on Hunslet Road.

ONS data shows a rise in 16-year-olds in Leeds from last year and this will increase the demand for student places, with more young people looking to enter further education.

Leeds City College said the investment will enable its Printworks campus to meet these capacity needs now and in the future.

The new building, which will be based on part of the car park, will create additional capacity with 11 new classrooms for 335 students. The space will be tailored to focus on engineering and manufacturing, creative and digital, as well as finance and professional courses.

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