Our new academy with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

We have officially launched our academy partnership with one of the area’s most recognisable employers, Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

As a college, we have a longstanding relationship with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a 400-bed hospital serving over a quarter of a million people in the Barnsley area, which has stood as a pillar of the community since the 1970s.

Our relationship has now been formalised at the latest launch of our growing range of academies – employer-led partnerships that give students access to more high-quality education and training, with further opportunities to experience the world of work.

The new academy is located within the Health, Science and Social Care Professions department of our Old Mill Lane campus and adds a new and exciting development to the current range of employer partnerships at the College.

The new academy will offer our Health, Science and Social Care Professions students a dedicated space equipped with real-world health care equipment, including three model hospital beds and medical mannequins, with which they can practice, develop and advance their healthcare skills with ongoing support from NHS professionals.

Bob Kirton, Managing Director of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We of course think Barnsley College is a great organisation and it’s great to work together, but it’s never better than when we can produce something like this.

“What has been created here at this academy is very near equivalent to the real thing; the ward area and the whole work environment. I think it’s great that students can try before they buy.

“It’s exciting for us to be coming off site and using the amazing training spaces at the College, and it’s brilliant to have something of this standard away from the Trust which is a bespoke facility.

“What we want to do for the people of Barnsley is provide the best environment for them to learn in and for their first experience of Healthcare as a career to be a really positive one. So, to have this facility is great and to have our values, Respect, Diversity and Teamwork, on the academy wall, which are really central to this partnership.”

Barnsley College’s Principal and CEO David Akeroyd added: “Barnsley Hospital is a huge employer in our community, one that many of our Health, Science and Social Care Professions students are likely to work with at some point in their career in some form, be that through employment, work experience or other training opportunities.

“That’s why it was so important to us to solidify this partnership and show our students not only the learning opportunities available to them now, but also to demonstrate that clear flight path for success if they chose to pursue a career working in our NHS.

“We’re no strangers to working with the Hospital in providing work experience, delivering training, talks, and masterclasses so this launch is great to properly cement for our students the brilliant working relationship we have.

“It’s so important to me that our academies aren’t a commercial venture. They’re not about raising income, they’re all about optimizing our relationships with employers and providing the widest range possible of high-quality opportunities to our students, and that’s what this academy is doing.

“This is a partnership that just makes sense and I’m excited for what’s to come as we continue working together to better the lives of those in Barnsley.”

If you’re interested in training in a healthcare profession with us, view our courses here: Health, Science and Social Care Professions | Barnsley College