Three students from Stoke Damerel Community College have won the Step into the NHS schools’ competition for the South West of England.
Harley Friend, Josh Nankivell and Emile Archer impressed the Health Education England judges with their entry to promote the role of a chef. The trio created a humorous video, identifying the ‘ingredients’ needed to make a chef.
This video entry, along with others beat more than 1,700 entries across the country, as the competition attracted record numbers of pupils to get involved and learn more about careers in the NHS.
Now in its ninth year, the competition aims to promote the 350 plus careers available in health and social care professions across the NHS and students were tasked with designing an advertisement and job description for their chosen role, working individually or in groups of up to four.
Anna Frier, executive prinicipal of Stoke Damerel Community College said:
“Harley, Josh and Emile worked extremely hard on their film and I am thrilled their efforts have been rewarded – especially out of so many entries.
“This competition is an excellent project, really engaging students with the workings of the health service and the different job options available to them. It is wonderful our students have won the regional prize for the third year in a row – we will be aiming to win the national prize next year!”
“…the competition gives them the chance to find out more about the wealth of careers in the NHS and they also get to exercise their creative side…”
Anna Brooking, careers and employability advisor of Stoke Damerel Community College added:
“This is the third time we’ve won the regional prize and I’m very proud of all the students who took part. Being part of the competition gives them the chance to find out more about the wealth of careers in the NHS and they also get to exercise their creative side by coming up with imaginative ways of promoting the career they decided to focus on.”
Harley, 12, said:
“It was really fun to develop our idea together as a team and it’s nice to hear people laugh when they watch it and think ‘we made this’.”
Josh, 12, said:
“It’s a good way of showing how many different jobs there are and I’d recommend anyone to enter, it’s a fun and interesting project to be part of.”
Emile, 13, said:
“We are always being given interesting and different things to do at Stoke Damerel. It’s been good to follow it through right from our first idea to seeing it on the screen and even better to have won!”
Virginia Stiff, recruitment manager for Livewell Southwest said:
“I’d like to congratulate the three students and Stoke Damerel Community College on their fantastic entry. Young people are extremely important to the future of the NHS workforce. It is important that the NHS engages with young people now and lets them know about the wealth of career opportunities.
“There are more than 350 different careers to choose from..”
“There are more than 350 different careers to choose from in health and jobs range from community matron, dietician or public health analyst to a finance manager or web developer. Initiatives such as the schools competition really help to raise awareness of this.”
More than 1,700 year 8 and 9 pupils in schools all over England entered the 2017/18 Step into the NHS schools’ competition, run by Health Education England.
