NHS Vacancies filled through Community Wealth Building

A jobs fair held at a Preston community centre has gone on to fill more than 30 local positions* within the NHS. And the success of working in partnership with the community shows no signs of stopping.

The Sahara Project (Preston) Ltd, on Fishwick Parade, is a voluntary organisation working predominantly for the benefit of the black and minority ethnic (BME) community.

As part of its services, the Sahara wanted to help their community members, predominantly South Asian women, find long term, secure employment in the local community.

In partnership with Lancashire Adult Learning and the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Sahara hosted a jobs fair (23 March 2022) where women could come and talk to the Recruitment Manager from (LTHTR) and find out what was available and how to apply. Interest in the jobs available was excellent on the day and over the following months with jobs training and help with applications, vacancies have been filled successfully.

This success delivers on Community Wealth Building commitments to encourage recruitment from anchor institutions like the NHS in less well-off areas.

NHS jobs are often better paid than the private sector with decent terms and conditions, progression and job security. This addresses poverty and leads to healthier communities.  

Zafar Coupland, at The Sahara Project, said:

"We support the wellbeing of minority ethnic women in Preston and provide a secure and comfortable place to turn to for help and advice.

"The jobs fair was an extension of our services to help tackle the high levels of unemployment, language difficulties and other social barriers in the way of our women finding their way into the workplace.

The NHS is a big employer locally with good working conditions and job security and is seen as an attractive place to work for our South Asian community. We had more than 100 attendees at the initial jobs fair and NHS recruitment staff presented all sorts of vacancies at various different levels and skill sets.

"By being able to sit down and speak personally with the NHS recruitment staff, our women could ask questions and for help with how to apply for jobs and understand in more depth what was available to them.

"The help of Lancashire Adult Learning was also key because they were able to identify barriers in language or education, and provide short courses in Maths, English and IT to get them over the threshold and at a point where they felt confident to apply for the jobs.

"The success of the jobs fair was down to the encouragement and confidence building that was made available to the women who attended.

The ongoing extra help through training sessions and the jobs club provided them with the support they needed for a smooth transition into work and helped to build a trusted and safe environment on their journey into employment. To be able to see more than 30 of our women in long term employment with one of biggest local employers is a phenomenal achievement for all involved, and it shows what can be achieve when we work together."

The NHS jobs fair has encouraged regular jobs fairs at the Sahara community centre with various different local and national employers.

The centre also holds a weekly jobs club every Friday and a wide range of training classes.

Stefanie Johnson, Head of Recruitment and Volunteers at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:

"The event was a great success and I'm really pleased to hear that through the support of the team at Sahara, some women went on to apply independently for jobs with the Trust later on in the year were successful, which is brilliant news.

"We also helped Lancashire Adult Learning develop a session for the attendees on how to complete the NHS application form, transferrable skills and tips for the interview process, so I'm really pleased to hear that this was beneficial. We are really happy to continue the works we have done, build on the relationships made and create more innovative opportunities in the future."

Sarah Threlfall, Deputy Chief Executive of Preston City Council and Director of Community and Wellbeing, said:

"The Sahara's recruitment drive in the BME community is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when we work together.

"The 'Preston Model' is about building a fair and resilient place to live and work, where all residents have the chance to prosper. The city's approach to helping the most disadvantaged communities is so important, especially when our communities are still struggling from the after effects of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

"The collaboration between the Sahara Project, the local NHS and Lancashire Adult Learning is a benchmark for other employers in the city to reach out and follow their approach." 

Visit the Sahara website to find out more information and about their planned events.

* The NHS jobs have been fulfilled over the past year through the interest gained through the initial NHS jobs fair, attendance at short training courses and the weekly jobs club that has carried on the momentum.

Further Information

Figures supplied by the Sahara Project employment co-ordinator and her team, are based on the feedback from their clients that applied to the NHS independently and reported back to the team. Up till the latest Christmas jobs fair that took place on 21 October 2022, the figures are:

• Gained PT employment - 11
• Gained Full time employment - 13
• Number of jobs in the Fishwick and St Matthews community - 9
• Total = 33

Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone.