The Jobs for Everyone Primary Schools programme, launched by NHS South Yorkshire, has been endorsed by the National Careers and Enterprise Company, the national body for careers education in England.
Jobs for Everyone educates primary school children, as young as four, about careers in health and social care, introducing pupils to roles that are different to doctors and nurses while dispelling gender stereotypes.
The programme includes resources for pupils, teaching staff and parents, including guidance on successful jobholder visits and setting up effective role-play areas. Modules cover a range of areas aligned to the curriculum, including equality and diversity, understanding the world and questioning skills.
Since the programme launched in 2022, 150 schools in South Yorkshire and surrounding areas, with over 13,000 pupils, have registered to join the programme.
Jobs for Everyone is the brainchild of Caroline Boot, Project Manager at NHS South Yorkshire, she said: “The aim of the programme is to promote equality and diversity and dispel stereotypes around the various health and care roles. We’re really pleased that the programme continues to be a success. A significant number of schools have repeated the programme 2 or 3 times with new groups of pupils and almost 80% of the schools involved were in the most deprived areas.
“At the end of the programme, classes could name up to 17 roles at the end of the programme, almost 3 times as many jobs than at the start and pupils agreed with the statement ‘I can do any job’. It is really encouraging to see that the programme is making a difference.”
The programme has now received national recognition and is featured on the National Careers and Enterprise Company website with resources available for schools across the country to download.
Christine Joy, Chief People Officer at NHS South Yorkshire, said: “The National Careers and Enterprise Company is the leading national body for careers in England, to receive recognition from them, and to have our resources available on their website is a great achievement. We are really pleased with how the programme has performed in our region and that its impact will be sustained and spread across the UK.
“We want young people to know who we are, what we do and to be enthused by the fabulous, varied and rewarding careers that the NHS can offer them.”
If you’re interested in resources for primary schools, you can find out more here Member's area :: SYREC Health and Social Care Careers