HUNDREDS of apprentices will be trained at a new Learning Hub that has opened at Wharfedale Hospital.

The facility in Otley is designed to provide a dedicated and realistic environment for Clinical Support Worker and Business Administration trainees.

Split into five 'bays' to allow for multiple classes, the hub consists of three classrooms and a fully equipped IT suite for online learning.

The fifth bay is used as a training ward and has been fitted with beds, cupboards and side tables to resemble a working ward as closely as possible.

Assessor for Learn Direct, Mark Russo, said: "The mocked-up training ward helps prepare the apprentice Clinical Support Workers for when they move on to the real thing.

"Learning the practical techniques associated with moving and handling patients in a realistic environment equips our trainees for what they will find on an actual ward.

"We’ve never had a dedicated training hub before – It’s a huge improvement."

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has made expanding its range of apprenticeships a priority following the success of its first programmes.

And it has increased its initial aim of training 200 clinical support workers a year to 300 following the opening of the hub at Wharfedale Hospital.

Some 30 clinical support worker apprentices will be trained in Otley each month over the coming year, while there will also be four monthly sessions for business administration trainees.

Additional teaching aids provided at the hub include a Wi-Fi enabled CPR dummy, which electronically records apprentices’ results, and a lifelike ‘practice patient’ – a dummy affectionately known as Ms Bedford.

There is also scope for the facility to host further apprenticeship schemes, including in management, human resources and IT, in the future.

The Trust's Support Staff Development Manager at Organisational Learning, Sue Davidson, said: "The push for more apprenticeship opportunities is opening up other departments in the Trust to these programmes.

"Wharfedale’s Learning Hub is key in spearheading this development as it provides a readily available training facility that apprentices of all disciplines may benefit from.

"'Those who train with us, stay with us’ is our motto.

"Staff retention is much higher through the apprenticeship scheme compared with other recruitment avenues."