QVH apprenticeship success stories to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (QVH) is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), showcasing the achievements of people who have come through apprenticeship programmes with the Trust.

NAW 2025 runs from 10–16 February and encourages everyone to consider and celebrate how apprenticeships and new skills help people develop in their careers, and enable employers develop a workforce fit for the future.

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy back in 2017 has enabled QVH to expand the number and variety of apprenticeships it can offer, and it was one of the first NHS Trusts in Sussex to procure and offer apprenticeships when the levy started.

Since then about 150 people have completed apprenticeships at QVH, with between 30 and 40 apprentices at the Trust at any one time, many of them local people.

Apprenticeships can be clinical, as a Nursing Associate, for example, who work with healthcare support workers and registered nurses or non-clinical, such as in business administration

Katharine Bond, Organisational Learning and Development Manager, said: “Our commitment to apprentices is really important. As one of the largest local employers we are a mainstay of the local community and have a duty to people in and around the East Grinstead area.

“The apprenticeships we offer are a really good way of encouraging people to take up training and development.”

Katharine says QVH’s commitment to career development means QVH is seen as an employer of choice.

“We are bringing in more and more younger people, we’re encouraging people to join the NHS. We are not just offering a job, we are offering a career path,” Katharine added.

“We can showcase what we’ve achieved and highlight really good stories about our people. It enables us to promote apprenticeships as a development opportunity that add value. This week we will recognise all the apprentices who have completed their qualification.  We provide them with QVH apprenticeship alumni badges that they can wear to show ‘I’ve been an apprentice’.”

QVH sleep technician Kimberley Healey is on a Level 4 Apprenticeship programme, and plans to make the most of her opportunity.

She said: “I have been incredibly lucky to have the full support of my manager and team around me. I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity, and I am enjoying every moment of my experience. My plan is to apply for the Level 6 apprenticeship after completing my Level 4. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me and my career in Sleep and Respiratory.”

You can read Kimberley’s story and our other Apprenticeship Week staff stories on our News page.

If anyone is interested in an apprenticeship opportunity at QVH please contact katharine.bond1@nhs.net.

For more information, please email the QVH Press Office at qvh.communications@nhs.net