Connolly Foundation UK is giving more than £75,000 to The Bedford College Group to support the training of nursing and care staff.
Vital staff who can work in nursing, care homes, or look after those living independently, are needed now more than ever before.
To encourage people to join these and similar professions, the Connolly Foundation is offering 56 bursaries of up to £500 plus another £50,000 towards equipping the training facilities.
The project was under consideration before the Covid crisis, but that has now made this an even more critical career sector.
Students eligible for the funds will include those aged 16+ starting new T-Level full time courses in Health and Science from September 2021.
A T-level is equivalent to 3 A Levels but also includes 315 work experience hours over the two-year course.
From this they can go on to employment as support workers in ambulance or healthcare, or into Higher Education studying to be in nursing, physiotherapy or the paramedic service or into a Higher Apprenticeship in a related field.
The equipment funds will set up a care home or hospital ward setting complete with special bed, hoist, life size mannequins and scientific equipment for checking blood pressure and more.
Ian Pryce CBE, Principal and CEO of The Bedford College Group said: “This is extremely generous of the Connolly Foundation who are champions of opportunity for young people. We are grateful for their continuing support.”
The Connolly Foundation has previously offered bursaries for young people in construction, financed a mini-bus to transport trainees to work experience locations and funded the Virtual Reality design suite in the Advanced Engineering and Construction Centre, the Buchanan Centre, at the riverside campus of Bedford College.
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