A landmark new partnership between Keele University, Telford College, and the NHS will help to boost skills and education opportunities for people in Shropshire with a suite of new courses. 

The new partnership will see Keele and Telford College working together to deliver a range of healthcare courses for Shropshire students, starting with an innovative new Nursing Associate apprenticeship launching in September 2025. 

The partnership will see Keele University having its own dedicated teaching space at the college's Wellington campus, which will be used to teach college students and deliver online lessons, with a particular focus on training a new generation of health and social care workers. 

The new Nursing Associate apprenticeship is set to be delivered from Telford College’s Clinical Skills Centre from September 2025, with regular skills sessions and remote lectures delivered by experts from Keele University.  

The course, which is subject to approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, takes a practical approach to help students develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be a Nursing Associate.  

Students who successfully complete the course also have the option to complete an 18-month “top up” course afterwards to become a fully qualified nurse.  

The apprenticeship has been developed thanks to a landmark partnership between Keele and Telford College, designed to widen access to skills and education opportunities for local people. 

Professor Christian Mallen, Executive Dean of Medicine and Health Sciences at Keele University, said: “I am very excited by our partnership with Telford College which will give those in Shropshire the opportunity to study to become nursing associates close to home. As someone who grew up in Shropshire, I recognise the vital contribution nurses make to the health and care of people across the county and am proud that the outstanding nursing team at Keele will be at the forefront of this exciting partnership.” 

Lawrence Wood, Principal and Chief Executive Officer at Telford College, said: “This collaboration is great news for Telford & Wrekin and for the county of Shropshire as a whole. 

"It is a tremendous opportunity for the college to reinforce its support for the NHS and care sector and the local community, helping to address skills requirements. 

“We are delighted to have such a prestigious university working with us – it emphasises our partnership approach to the delivery of education and training." 

Stacey Keegan, the Chief Executive of The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, and Senior Responsible Officer for the NHS’s People Programme across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, added: “I am excited by this collaboration, which will support our ambitions to grow our workforce in a sustainable way. 

“This is an innovative partnership between the NHS, Keele University and Telford College, which will open up new doors for people in our local communities and give them an accessible avenue into a health and care career. 

“The workforce challenges that the NHS as a whole faces are well known, and that is no different for us in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin. ‘Growing our own’ via this partnership can only have a positive knock-on impact on the care that our patients receive. I am confident that it will prove to be of immense value in the coming years.”

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