During National Apprenticeship Week, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust was delighted to welcome the Right Honourable Robert Halfon MP to its headquarters in Bodmin on Monday 5th February 2024, to recognise and celebrate the achievements of apprentices across the country.
Rebecca McSorley is the lead practice educator with the Trust. We asked her to tell us a bit about her experience:
“I think I would say that from my perspective, before the visit was quite anxiety provoking as you don’t get much notice of confirmation that they are coming, so although I already had the plan in place I had to pull it all together with just a couple of weeks notice. All of the apprentices I invited were very flexible so were able to confirm that they would be able to attend the event, for which I was very grateful. You also have that concern that everything is going to run smoothly and that the Minister enjoys the visit and that it is a positive experience for all involved.
I realised that it was all going to be Ok when the Minister was asking specific and relevant questions to the individuals who were doing the presentations, showing that he really was interested in their experiences and our apprenticeship journey as an organisation. When the presentations had finished and he was mingling with the apprentices and T level students there was a real buzz in the room. At that point I felt that I could relax and feel proud of myself for having organised the visit with such a positive outcome. Feedback from those who attended was really positive and they all felt that he had been genuinely interested in them as individuals.”