Last month, students from the Digital Innovators Skills Programme joined an NHS England assurance meeting to share their initial ideas of how they plan to solve health and care challenges as part of the Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM) junior incubator scheme.

The scheme, which will be launched next year, is a digital ideator, incubator and accelerator programme to support 16 to 19 years olds, from underrepresented groups, to develop ideas in response to challenges provided by leading employers.

Students from Solihull College and University Centre that attended the meeting, included Bilal, Emily-Jane Dalton, Iman Yaqoob Sharif and Lucas Gallagher. Students were accompanied by Harry Page, Center Manager, and David Hull, Business Development and Operations Director, at Digital Innovators.

Students and employees presented an introduction to the Digital Innovators Skills Programme and discussed the benefits of the HIWM junior incubator scheme, including building confidence and work experience in industries in which they have an interest. Students also had a chance to talk about the projects they were developing to tackle a range of industry challenges, one of which being health and social care at HIWM.

Speaking about the meeting, Bilal, said: “Meeting the team at the NHS was great. I enjoyed speaking to them about my project and what I hope to achieve in my career, as well as learn more about the job opportunities in their industry.”

Tony Davis, Innovation and Commercial Director, HIWM, said: “It was very insightful to hear, first hand, from the young people benefitting from the incubator scheme and how they are enjoying the experience. These opportunities can create the spark for many young minds to go on and forge careers in the life sciences sector. We are extremely proud to play our part in supporting young, regional, talent.”

Dr Aly Rashid, Medical Director, NHS England, Midlands, said: “We were impressed by the young people who came to present at the assurance meeting. Their projects were thought provoking and timely, and the students’ enthusiasm was palpable. It is clear that these students will benefit hugely from their experiences on the programme and will go on to develop rewarding careers.”

To find out more about the HIWM junior incubator scheme, please email: Reena Sidhu, Commercial Enterprises Lead, Digital Health Innovation, HIWM, at: reena.sidhu@healthinnovationwm.org

More about the Digital Innovators Skills Programme, here: https://digitalinnovators.co.uk/