Discover how to get in to jobs in health and social care in Birmingham and Solihull.
The ‘I Can’ programme has been designed to help unemployed and young people from Birmingham and Solihull into entry-level jobs in health and social care.
So, what do we offer? Our commitment is to support you every step of the way into a role in health or care. We’ve developed a training programme, taking place over a number of weeks, designed to support everyone’s individual needs and to help you learn more about the opportunities available to find the one that is best for you.
We’ll then support you through application and preparation ahead of an interview for all available jobs in your chosen area.
Once you have been appointed, our team of experienced educators will continue to support you with pastoral advice.
Find out more through the frequently asked questions below.
You can view videos from members of staff here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please follow the link to register your interest in ‘I Can.’ An advisor will contact you, and try to do this on one of the times you have selected, using the details you have provided. The call will help us to find out more about you, your skills and interests. Please allow approximately 20 minutes for the call.
We are offering you a fantastic opportunity to come and work in health and care, in one of many organisations in Birmingham and Solihull. Through the ‘I Can’ programme we will support you every step of the way.
You can expect to:
- undertake a training programme to learn more about the role you have expressed an interest in or understand what job opportunities there are to allow you to make a choice;
- receive support when applying for jobs and learn much more about working for the NHS or in social care;
- be supported to fill out your application form and have interview practice and preparation;
- receive a guaranteed interview for some roles;
- receive ongoing support during training and after appointment from our team of experienced educators.
Whilst you may need some qualifications for some of the roles available, the most important thing we are looking for is people with the right values. It’s important for us that we employ the right people in the right jobs and that we employ people who are committed to achieving our vision.
For more information please click on the job families links to see the types of roles we have available. These include the type of applicants we are looking for, what a day might look like, how you can develop in the role and undertake further training and what the pay and benefits will be.
If you need assistance with the application form please ring one of the numbers below and one of our team will be happy to help and support you.
- If you live in Solihull, please call 0121 704 6869.
- If you live in Birmingham, please call 0121 748 8100.
One of our team will contact you at one of the times you have selected. Please allow at least 20 minutes for the call and please make yourself available for the times that you have selected. You might also like to prepare a list of questions to ask our team when they call you. If you don’t answer the first call, we will try and contact you once more.
It is likely that you will have to be interviewed for the role that you apply for, but please don’t worry as our team will support you with this. The training programme that you attend will include interview preparation and practice.
Yes, you will be required to complete and attend a training programme. The training programme will be based on the role that you have selected so that you can find out more about the role and to support you in applying for jobs and being interviewed.
We’ll send you full details of the training, detailing content and length before you start.
The length of the training will differ, dependant on the role you have selected and your individual training needs but generally training is likely to be 2-6 weeks.
We will ensure you are informed well in advance of the length of the programme, dates you are required to attend and training locations.
Support with travel costs might be available to those who need it, please talk to us or Job Centre Plus.
Our aim is for all the training to be a combination of face-to-face and online. The face-to-face element can be delivered at one of the training venues we have across Birmingham and Solihull.
If you don’t have internet access that is not a problem as we have a variety of means by which we can support you to complete an application or training. Should you require additional help with this one of our team will be able to support you.
Upon successful completion of the training we will support you through the application and interview process and, if you secure the role, we will also support you for the first six months in the role. If you don’t secure employment at the first interview we will continue to support you for up to 16 weeks to give you the best opportunity to secure a role in health or care.
There are roles in facilities (portering, housekeeping, catering), administration, theatre support workers, pharmacy assistant and as a healthcare assistant. These are outlined in some detail in the job families documents.
The current pay-scale for these roles is £20,270 for a full-time role. Working for the NHS also has additional benefits, including:
access to the generous NHS pension scheme
access to the health service discounts
27 days paid annual leave, plus bank holidays
paid sick leave
opportunities for promotion/progression.
Most of our jobs are offered on a flexible basis and we are keen to match people to the right roles for their situation. There will be a range of roles and some may be part-time. We will support and advise you on this issue during training and try to ensure we match you to vacancies that suit your situation.
Yes. We encourage all applicants to share their disability with us. We are able to consider a range of reasonable adjustments and flexible working patterns for all roles.
There are a large number of key NHS locations across Birmingham and Solihull. The locations available for any role will be determined by where the vacancies exist at that time but we will try and match you to roles that suit your location and situation.
For some roles there may be a requirement to work different shifts. There may also be an opportunity to perform some admin roles, or parts of roles, from home. The job families documents on this page give more detail on the roles and our training staff will be able to ensure we match you to the role that best suits you.