Following a period where he studied music and a short time working in retail, Jack Baker found himself at a position of reflection in his life. He was “feeling like a career change” but wasn’t sure where his next step would take him.

Whilst still on Universal Credit, Jack was offered a SWAP (Sector-based Work Academy Programme) with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT)/NHS, on a four-week course delivered at Leicester College’s City Skills Centre, in partnership with Department for Work and Pensions.

The SWAP course equips learners with some of the essential and desirable skills, and offers support with applications for current LPT and wider NHS band 1-4 vacancies in the areas of business administration, customer services, catering, cleaning, security, facilities and estates, contact centre and health care assistant roles.

Jack says that it was “a good match, well suited to my needs”.

“Healthcare hadn’t crossed my mind” when it came to a possible career, Jack admitted. However, the SWAP course has helped him “to see the sector in a new light and climb a ladder into a new career”, and Jack has recently secured a new position as a ward clerk at Glenfield Hospital in Leicestershire.

Jack continues: “The course had an admin/office focus and taught me a lot of core skills and values. The GDPR element has certainly come into good use and I now have a real awareness around the sensitivity of data which is vital in my new role. I had fun on the course, made friends and it was an overall good experience.

“I have an aspiration to climb bands within the NHS and would consider further training to help me to progress. I’ll be staying within healthcare and am proud to say that I’ll be working within the NHS.

“I would recommend the SWAP course to anyone trying to figure out what they want in a job as there are so many different kind of jobs in the NHS.”