A team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is supporting a national initiative to bring the exciting world of science and technology to schools across the UK.
The Tech Services Team based at Royal Preston Hospital has joined forces with the award-winning charity TeenTech, to help young people understand more about the range of opportunities available in the health sector.
The Tech Services Team participated in one of TeenTech’s live innovation sessions, which bring the world of science and technology to life for young people aged 11-19, who may have had no previous understanding of their potential to enjoy a career in these areas.
Aspiring tech students from schools and colleges from all over the country logged in to see staff demonstrating our futuristic surgery robot and to quiz our tech experts.
TeenTech, led by Maggie Philbin, well known for her work hosting Tomorrow’s World, Swap Shop and Bang Goes the Theory supports teenagers in gaining skills, experiences and connections to guide them into modern careers and give them the best chance to reach their full potential.
TeenTech work collaboratively with universities and businesses to build sustainable and imaginative programmes, focussing on regions of greater social need in the UK and Europe.
In Lancashire, TeenTech are working with the Local Digital Skills Partnership to make sure talent individuals understand the wide range of exciting careers.
TeenTech has now added ‘hospital trust’ to their list of partner associations.
Saeed Umar, Head of Tech Services at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We want to show young people all of the possibilities that come with a career in the NHS; more specifically that it doesn’t mean becoming a nurse or doctor. The Tech Services team at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals is well-placed to provide this support, as we have won a number of prestigious awards for our work of late. Competing with trusts across the country, we recently won the ‘Best Covid-19 Training Solution’ award in the Health Tech Digital Awards for our work in developing online training resources as social distancing measures were introduced last year.
“We are passionate about encouraging more young people to consider some of the non-clinical but highly-skilled careers available within the NHS, and we are delighted to be working with TeenTech to achieve this.”
The Trust’s Gynaecological Oncologist, Divisional Medical Director and former Chief Clinical Information Officer, Nick Wood, demonstrated our Da Vinci Xi cancer robot, a pioneering piece of equipment in the region and a ground-breaking innovation for the Trust.
Trust Theatres Practitioner, Rhian Heaton, who works with the robot regularly, also supported the Future Tech sessions in a live Q&A with Saeed Umar to answer questions about the Da Vinci Xi. Students asked Saeed wide-ranging questions about tech in health care. He shared our cutting-edge developments around virtual reality hospital visits, immersive experience and smart chips inside prosthetic limbs.
TeenTech was founded in 2008 and helps many thousands of young people every year. Their lively, engaging programmes are structured to guide students through key academic choices with a coherent journey through age-appropriate interventions and continued opportunities to gain experience, knowledge and skills.
TeenTech has won several awards, including Best Engineering Event in Science and Engineering Week and Best Employer and Schools Initiative. The quality of their work to improve diversity has been recognised by WISE , who presented CEO Maggie Philbin with an award for Best Outreach and Engagement, and by Computer Weekly who named her most influential Woman in UK IT.
"We are passionate about encouraging more young people to consider some of the non-clinical but highly-skilled careers available within the NHS"
