The MEdIC team, who run the WATCCH (Widening Access to Careers in Community Healthcare) programme, delivered workshops at both Imperial’s Festival of Learning and Teaching (FoLaT) on 29th April and the NIHR ARC NWL Collaborative Learning Event on 9th May.
Through small group work, these interactive workshops encouraged attendees to engage critically with barriers to accessing healthcare education and careers, as well as identify what can be done to support young people interested in pursuing them. Our WATCCH student lead, who was previously a participant in the programme, gave a unique longitudinal student perspective. Small group discussions revealed insights around valuing individuals’ experiences and working towards an inclusive educational and workforce experience within healthcare and attendees’ own contexts.
The session at the FoLaT focussed on barriers to accessing and participating in healthcare education and was well attended by colleagues from across the College, including teaching fellows, researchers interested in EDI and outreach officers. Small groups explored practical ways to overcome barriers; ideas discussed included greater financial support, extended student mentor programmes, and critically reviewing implicit expectations and requirements of students within courses to identify points of hidden exclusivity. The NIHR ARC NWL Collaborative Learning Event workshop considered the conference theme of ‘Building Capacity for Integration: Engaging Local Workforces’. Attendees included academics, research participants and students. Brainstorming of solutions for implementation led to discussions about role models, raising awareness and engagement of key stakeholders.
As well as providing insightful learning for the WATCCH team, both workshops ignited thoughts about how the principles of widening participation can be applied in various contexts. We thank all participants for their contributions.
If you are interested in learning more about WATCCH or supporting the programme, please email r.bhudia@imperial.ac.uk