“I come to work each day knowing my work can really make an impact” – Tom’s story, National Apprenticeships Week 2020

Tom Hooper completed his Business Administration and Project Management apprenticeships with Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. This helped him disover a role he is really passionate about, and he’s now completing a degree while working for the Trust…

I started my time with the Trust working in a local GP surgery as a level 3 Business Administration apprentice. I then joined the Chief Executive’s Office, working alongside the Trust’s leadership team and Personal Assistants while completing my level 4 Business Administration qualification.

During my time in the CEO’s Office I was involved in a Rapid Process Improvement Workshop on improving the Trust’s complaints process.  This sparked my interest in working to improve services for our service users, carers and staff.

As a result I moved to work as a Project Support Officer in the Trust Innovation Group (TIG), our in-house consultancy team helping people and organisations to continuously improve the quality of services. I have completed training in the Prince2 project management methodology, and I’m now attending Cumbria University working towards a further BA Hons degree-level apprenticeship in project management. In five years, I hope to be a Project Manager at CNTW, helping the Trust continue its journey to improving the care that we can provide.

I’m really passionate about working for the NHS; it is a national treasure which makes a difference to peoples’ lives. I come to work each day knowing my work can really make an impact, and I’m very proud of that.

The best thing about completing my apprenticeships with CNTW has been the staff I’ve worked with. We all come to work to help the people the Trust supports, which is really rewarding. I’ve also enjoyed being able to earn a wage, gain real-world experience and progress through roles in a workplace while completing my qualifications.