#12DaysofHiddenHeroes: Rukshana Begum

Posted Sunday, 19 December 2021

Rukshana Begum heath career outreach officer

In the lead up to Christmas, we're shining a light on #12DaysofHiddenHeroes.

On the seventh day of the festive season, we meet Rukshana Begum, a health careers outreach officer at Barts Health.

Tell us about your role

I am a health careers outreach officer, my main role is to manage the pre-employment programme to help young people aged 16-30 in east London boroughs start their careers in Health.

By filling lower-banded apprenticeship and job vacancies in the Trust with local people, we can support the development of a workforce that represents the local community and its needs, and can therefore contribute to service improvement.

Our two-week training provides individuals with knowledge on NHS policies and practices; and one-to-one support on how to apply for jobs and apprenticeships in the NHS.

Those who are successful are entered into our talent pool where they have access to our ring-fenced jobs and apprenticeships.

What might surprise people about your role?

Our team falls under Public Health who provides additional programmes to prevent ill health from risky behaviour such as smoking, alcohol, and air pollution.

As part of my role, I support a widening participation programme which is about the promotion of different careers in the NHS.

We engage with over 37 schools and colleges to provide bespoke sessions to help students make informed choices about their career pathway.

Proudest moment?

We have reached a milestone - over 200 young people have completed the pre-employment training programme and 100 candidates who have secured employment!

My proudest moment is working with someone who has multiple barriers and challenges and helping them through this to flourish and secure employment.

A candidate who recently secured a role said:

If it wasn’t for this programme, I probably wouldn’t have a job. The programme has opened up so many opportunities to me. It’s the best thing I’ve done career-wise.