“Sometimes I pinch myself” - NHFT support key to Nancy’s career success
"I look back five years ago and I'm not the same person I was in terms of knowledge and how I see things - and I really put that down to the training NHFT has offered me. It builds you."
This is how Nancy Gatawa reflects on her career so far with NHFT. Back in 2016 she joined the Trust to complete her nursing re-registration after taking time out to have a family.
Since then she has climbed the ranks to become Service Manager for Older People's Community Mental Health and Younger People with Dementia - and she says the training and support offered by her employer played a big part in that.
Before applying for her current role, Nancy was encouraged to join NHFT's Career Development Workshop. Here she learned to think differently about her career pathway and picked up vital skills that she says helped her to land the job.
"It really opened up my eyes," she recalls. "They tap into things that you've not thought about before because we are busy with work every day. It makes you reflect on your pathway and take time to really think about where you want to go with your career. That, for me, was the defining moment."
Nancy is now being supported by NHFT to complete an on-the-job apprenticeship in senior leadership alongside an Master of Business Administration (MBA) qualification.
"Sometimes I pinch myself when I think about where I am today," she says. "NHFT really looks after its workforce and it's all about that diversity, that inclusion.
"It values every individual so that no matter where you come from, your religion, your culture, your race, your gender, we all have the same opportunities to bring something of value to the Trust. That thing that makes you different could be the thing that makes the difference to how we work."