The South Yorkshire Region Excellence Centre (SYREC) Schools Engagement Team is supporting a pilot project to encourage and inspire young children into thinking about a future career in health and social care.
The Jobs for Everyone programme has been developed in partnership with Westways School and is aimed at four to six year olds in a classroom setting.
Sessions will be delivered as a pilot within six primary schools in Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley with an immediate roll-out until the end of the summer term.
The project offers a teaching package, deliverable over two to six weeks, which focuses on the breadth and diverse range of jobs in health and social care. This is timely as a 2019 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has identified that children’s career ambitions are already limited by age seven.
The schools own teachers will deliver the sessions which are framed around fun engagement activities including a visit to a local care home where the children meet the staff and perform "Working in a Hospital" song to residents and the loan of a role play kit including mini uniforms and realistic props. Participating schools receive a workbook per child to support the learning journey.
SYREC’s future intention is to roll out to more schools in autumn 2020.
Notes
Special thanks to Caroline Boot for her work in supporting the development of this programme.