NHS jobs fair at The Sahara Project secures dozens of jobs

Dozens of people who attended a jobs fair at a Preston community centre have secured roles in the local NHS in the year since the event was staged.

Thirty-three posts have been filled – mostly by women of South Asian heritage – after residents were given help with the application process.

The Sahara Project hosted the gathering last March in an attempt to give its members a better chance of getting a role at the trust that runs the Royal Preston Hospital.

The organisation, based on Fishwick Parade, also helped potential applicants acquire the skills they might need for the jobs on offer by highlighting relevant adult learning courses.

Over the past 12 months, both full and part-time jobs have been handed to attendees at the fair – with nine of the roles based in the Fishwick and St. Matthew’s area.

Preston City Council has welcomed the success of the project, saying that it chimes with the authority’s community wealth-building agenda, part of which involves encouraging so-called “anchor institutions” like the health service to recruit staff from less well-off parts of the city.

Deepdale ward councillor Zafar Coupland, a volunteer at The Sahara Project – which seeks to support the black and minority ethnic community – said that the jobs fair was “an extension of our services to help tackle the high levels of unemployment, language difficulties and other social barriers in the way of our women finding their way into the workplace”.

“The NHS is a big employer locally, with good working conditions and job security and is seen as an attractive place to work for our South Asian community. We had more than 100 attendees at the initial jobs fair and NHS recruitment staff presented all sorts of vacancies at various different levels and skill sets.

“By being able to sit down and speak personally with [recruiters], our women could ask questions and for help with how to apply for jobs and understand in more depth what was available to them.

“The help of Lancashire Adult Learning was also key because they were able to identify barriers in language or education, and provide short courses in Maths, English and IT to get them over the threshold – and [to] a point where they felt confident to apply for the jobs,” Cllr Coupland added.

In the wake of the NHS event, the Sahara Project is now hosting regular jobs fairs with a range of local and national employers. The community centre also holds a weekly jobs club every Friday in order to deliver related training classes.

Stefanie Johnson, head of recruitment and volunteers at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said that the success of those who attended the jobs fair in going on to apply independently for employment with the NHS was “brilliant news”.

She added: “We also helped Lancashire Adult Learning develop a session for the attendees on how to complete the NHS application form, transferable skills and tips for the interview process, so I’m really pleased to hear that this was beneficial.

“We are really happy to continue the work we have done, build on the relationships made and create more innovative opportunities in the future.“

Sarah Threlfall, deputy chief executive of Preston City Council and its director of community and wellbeing, said that the Sahara’s NHS recruitment drive was “a brilliant example of what can be achieved when we work together”.

“The ‘Preston Model’ is about building a fair and resilient place to live and work, where all residents have the chance to prosper. The city’s approach to helping the most disadvantaged communities is so important, especially when our communities are still struggling from the after effects of the pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“The collaboration between the Sahara Project, the local NHS and Lancashire Adult Learning is a benchmark for other employers in the city to reach out and follow their approach.”