Minister for Care and Mental Health meets GOSH apprentices
25 Mar 2022, 5:09 p.m.
On Thursday 24 March, former Apprentice Gillian Keegan MP visited our hospital to meet some of our wonderful apprentices and learn more about our apprenticeship's scheme.
Our chief executive, Matthew Shaw, welcomed Gillian Keegan, the Minister for Care and Mental Health to GOSH. During her visit, the Minister spoke with our apprentices and visited them on their wards to learn about all the important work they do, and the value of apprentices in healthcare.
At GOSH we have 220 apprentices who work over 35 programme areas.
These include:
- Nursing
- Allied health
- Science
- IT
- Data analyst
- Project management
- Leadership and management
- plus many more.
Why are apprenticeships important?
It was a pleasure to talk to apprentices at Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday and hear about their experience. Apprenticeships offer a great pathway into a career including for over 350 NHS careers. As a former apprentice, I am passionate about ensuring we have high-quality apprenticeships on offer to meet the skill demands of our health and social care system.
The Minister has previously been Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills and in her new role continues to see apprenticeships as a key way to develop staff already working in the NHS and encourage new staff to join the NHS.
Gillian Keegan started working as an apprentice when she was 16 at an automotive company. Alongside this she also studied for a Business Studies Degree. This apprenticeship equipped her with the knowledge and skills to continue her business career. Minister Keegan is the only degree-level apprentice in the House of Commons and continues to champion high-quality apprenticeships, like those provided at GOSH.
Our apprenticeship programmes are enabling staff to learn on the job and achieve nationally recognised qualifications whilst in employment. We believe offering apprenticeships like these are crucial in enabling us to recruit into entry roles from local areas and support our team members to progress their career at GOSH.

Minister Gillian Keegan with GOSH Apprenticeship workforce staff
Our Apprenticeship goal is to create a Career Pathway for every role at GOSH.
Recruiting Apprentices into roles brings new talented individuals into the workforce. Apprenticeships are giving us the opportunity to grow our own Nurses, AHP’s, Scientists and leaders of the future, supported by the GOSH Learning academy.

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