There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.  ~Willa Cather

As the NHS faces challenging times ahead it is now more important than ever to invest in developing a high quality workforce.

The NHS needs to be an employer of choice attracting and retaining the talent it needs to deliver the vision of quality healthcare for all. We will need to foster and retain skills and talent through these challenging times, developing the solutions the NHS needs through the people who will deliver them. The NHS has a chance now to take a long term view of the challenges ahead, tackling immediate financial challenges alongside designing a workforce for the future (NHS Employers 2010). High quality and accessible education will be key to achieving this.

It is timely then that today we celebrate the launch of the HEFT Faculty of Education. The ‘HEFT Faculty’ will provide a strategic umbrella for the education and development of our employees and, drawing on learning from successful US corporate models, will be at the centre of disseminating the organisations culture,  fostering the development of not only job skills but also core workplace skills such as learning-to-learn, leadership, creative thinking and problem solving (Meister 1998). This marks a shift in focus from employee training to employee education. The HEFT Faculty, in partnership will our external education partners, will enable the organisation to provide a portfolio of, patient focussed, education for employees that can evolve with our ever changing organisational needs. We recognise that by maximising investment, and securing best value, we can increase access for staff to high quality education that ultimately will enable us to achieve our strategic goals and secure ongoing performance improvement.

Our Faculty team are available to offer all members staff information, advice and guidance on work related education and development. We also welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions in relation to how we can improve the service we provide.

Kerry Jones, Faculty Dean and Head of Learning and Development

Meister, J. (1998) Ten steps to creating a corporate university. Training and Development 52(6) NHS Employers (2010) The workforce of the future. Health Business, http://www.healthbusinessuk.net

Watch the HEFT Faculty Introduction video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZeb2QD9gaw