A 26-year-old from Burngreave who was unemployed and claiming benefits has turned her life around after signing up to a scheme to help people find work.
Romanah Khan joined Apprenticeships for All, a programme designed to give people from Burngreave access to citywide training and job opportunities, and now has a full time job.
Following the projects’ innovative link with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH), Romanah began a 20-week apprenticeship at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and now has a permanent position as an administration assistant in the Eye Department.
Romanah said: “Apprenticeships for All has made such a big impact on my life. Being on benefits can be a hard-struggle. It is hard trying to support yourself and finding job opportunities, especially when you don’t have any formal qualifications.
“Apprenticeships for All made me feel very comfortable and confident and I was really pleased to be offered an apprenticeship with STH.
“There is a lot of training that you have to go through. You spend two days in the workplace, gaining experience and three days training away from work. I now have NVQ qualifications as well as practical experience which have set me up well to develop my career.”
Apprenticeships for All, managed by Sheffield City Council with funding from Burngreave New Deal for Communities (BNDfC), offers a wide range of apprenticeship employment opportunities in a variety of occupations and sectors including regeneration, retail, mechanics and administration.
The project’s initiative with STH has seen over 40 people gain full-time employment within the Trust and Romanah is one of eight new starters who began the course last November. They recently attended a special event to celebrate the success of the project.
Romanah added: “The scheme has certainly helped turn my life around, as I now have a full time job and am really positive about the future. I would definitely encourage other people from Burngreave who may be in similar situations to me to get involved.”
Cliff Smith, Lead for Vocational Education at STH, said: “We hosted the celebratory event to hail the success of Romanah and her fellow apprentices who have excelled in this scheme.
“As a major employer in Sheffield, it is important that we have a sense of social responsibility and part of that is helping people gain employment. That is why we have linked up with Apprenticeships for All and Forum House.
“The project provides jobs to those people in Burngreave who may not have thought about applying to work within Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. Not only does it lead to a job but also a career; there is no reason why anyone who enters employment through Apprenticeships for All cannot go onto a wide range of different professional avenues after entry level.”
Anyone wishing to find out more can contact Apprenticeships for All on 0114 272 2743.
Logged in users of the website can add comments to this page.
Login to this site if you'd like to add a comment. Sign-up for an account if you are not currently a member.