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The Centre for Workforce Excellence ambition

The Centre for Workforce Excellence will enable sector-wide collaboration to strengthen and expand our district talent pool and improve workforce productivity and performance. Delivered in partnership with our Bradford District Higher and Further education providers, it will elevate service and business delivery.

The Centre for Workforce Excellence Partnership Board

The Board was first established in 2022 to meet the Centre for Workforce Excellence ambition, by overseeing the delivery of a practical and realistic series of projects. The Board has representation at a senior level from the University of Bradford, Bradford Council, Bradford College, Keighley College, Shipley College and Skills for Work. It is chaired by Shirley Congdon (University of Bradford Vice Chancellor) and Chris Webb (Bradford College Principal).

How we are doing this

We are developing and delivering a series of projects to support both talent acquisition and talent development. We have initially committed to delivering a strong apprenticeship offer on behalf of our five organisational workforces, using our local learning providers expertise to ensure we deliver a local programme and maximise our Apprenticeship Levy spend. We have also taken the opportunity to more strongly promote a range of Level 3 qualifications to our employees with the lowest level of existing qualifications.

We are also in the early phases of creating learning orientated induction processes for our organisations, strengthening our placements and internships programmes, and seeking more in-depth Supported Employment opportunities.

Who Can Get Involved?

Anyone currently or interested in working in the health and social care sector in Bradford District and Craven will find useful guidance and information on this site.

Students choosing their GCSEs and A’Levels subjects or apprenticeship options
Graduates looking for their first job
People not currently working looking for fulfilling paid work
Anyone looking for work experience, work placements, volunteering opportunities.
The current workforce across the whole sector, from hospitals to independent care homes
Unpaid carers and volunteers thinking about moving in to paid work

Why Get Involved in One Workforce Hub

This project is important to you because…

If you aren’t already working in the H&SC sector, we hope some of the stories, experiences and general information on this site will inspire you to share your talents with us in Bradford District and Craven. If you are already involved with the sector, we hope this site will support you in developing your skills, knowledge and capabilities, and widen your horizons of opportunity beyond just the organisation you currently work for. The Centre for Workforce Development is here for you, to encourage, support and guide you through a positive working experience in health and social care, but in Bradford District and Craven in particular.

It will bring health and social care organisations together, supported by our further and higher education establishments, to manage and deliver workforce development opportunities locally. We can also maximise the potential of national and regional level opportunities to benefit our local place.

What Is the One Workforce Hub

The Centre for Workforce Development is in development, though we are already working towards some of our shared ambitions.

We are creating a new health and social care Centre for Workforce Development for Bradford District and Craven. We want to support and develop our workforce collectively so that everyone on their journey into or already within the sector benefits from every opportunity.

We therefore want to create a culture of working across organisations as a default, unless there is a good reason not to. We would like all workforce development activity to be commissioned, managed and delivered by Bradford District and Craven as a place, rather than as a range of individual organisations.

Further content to draw from: (language not currently appropriate)

The time has never been more right for us to consider radical workforce redesign. Workforce is becoming the biggest issue facing the NHS and social care in the next decade made even more apparent through the Covid19 pandemic. Nationally there are an estimated 10,000 vacancies in medical posts and 40,000 vacancies in nursing posts and 122,000 more social care staff are required. In Bradford District & Craven, 4,700 additional roles will be required by 2030.

Our ambitions for the Centre will be achieved through strategic workforce planning and redesign, preparing for new models of care, new roles, whilst maximising the use of technology. We will grow our future H&SC workforce (including volunteers and unpaid carers), improve leadership culture, develop our current and future workforce to have 21^st century skills and make our H&SC organisations the best places to work.”