Sumita Saigal
Chartered Manager Health and Social Care degree apprentice, NHS England
Meet Sumita, an accomplished graduate, who transitioned from a career in financial services to a significant role within the NHS. Through the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (Health & Social Care), she not only advanced her career but also made meaningful contributions to her workplace, particularly in the areas of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Sumita’s journey exemplifies the transformative impact of our apprenticeship programmes.
Changing careers to make a difference
I started working for the NHS in 2009, moving from a background in financial services because I wanted to give back to society.
Having raised a family and embarked on a new career in the NHS, I was determined to enhance my career and to make a positive impact in the workplace.
Working for NHS England we were encouraged to further develop as part of our continuous professional development. I saw the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (Health & Social Care) as my route to achieve this goal. Previously, my highest qualification was a BTEC HND in Business Studies and I had completed the NVQ Business Administration Level 3 while working , and so I completed a non-standard entry assessment to be accepted onto the course.
Stepping up
In addition to the degree apprenticeship, I was mentored as part of the Midlands’ Together We Can Talent Programme 2021/2022. The programme was created following the organisation’s March 2020 aspirational target to achieve 19% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) representation across all levels in the organisation by 2025. They used internal and external coaches to support candidates in their career development. During the first year of my apprenticeship, I applied for a managerial role using the experience, knowledge and skills gained on the courses, and secured a promotion from Personal Assistant to Business Manager.
Championing equality
Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) has been the “golden thread” that has run through most of my assignments on the apprenticeship. My final project was the culmination of this, as I attempted to set up a pilot to update electronic staff records and improve statistics around divulging hidden/protected characteristics such as disability, chronic illness, etc., to ensure that appropriate reasonable adjustments can be put in place for staff.
The apprenticeship has made me more confident in leading on ED& I in my workplace and identify where policies and procedures could be improved to be more inclusive.
The course has helped me with strategies to be a better leader – such as approaching difficult conversations, and approaching problems using a different lens, giving people the skills to tackle things in a different way. It’s made me a better mentor and a more supportive line manager, and I often revisit tools and strategies from modules I’ve studied when working with my team.
Support and success
Studying a degree apprenticeship while working full-time is not easy, but the support the university has provided is one of the reasons I have achieved so highly on my course. My project supervisor, Paula, was the best lecturer and supervisor I’ve ever had. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and pushed me to continue even where there were some barriers due to circumstances around me which felt insurmountable. I managed to complete the course and become an Accredited Chartered Manager with CMI.
My skills coach, Emma, was also supportive, as were the Wellbeing team at Manchester Met. There’s so much support across the university for degree apprentices, and that helped me to achieve my goals on the course and in my professional life.
One of my proudest moments was when the university nominated me for a Multicultural Apprenticeship Award in 2022 in recognition of all the work I’d done on ED&I for the organisation.
Being shortlisted and attending the awards gala dinner ceremony was one of the highlights of my journey.
A dream realised
I have always had a dream to go to university and gain a degree, but circumstances when I left school didn’t allow it, and after getting married and starting a family, I never thought that I would have the chance. So when this opportunity for the degree was given to me by a former line manager, and my directors all encouraged me to sign up for the degree apprenticeship, I couldn’t believe it. I won’t say it’s been easy – it’s taken time, dedication, and the support of my family and networks to achieve this goal.
I’ve also made friends for life on my course, and we all supported each other through the challenges that working full-time, studying, and personal lives threw at us.
On my graduation day, I felt so emotional putting on my gown as I just never thought this would be a possibility for me. When he saw me, my husband was very emotional.
Having my entire extended family in Manchester to celebrate with me, including my mum and 16-month old grandson, meant so much. It was an amazing day and one that I’ll never forget.
Advice for future apprentices
There are so many positives in terms of career impact and personal development to studying on the degree apprenticeship, and since I completed my course, I have been promoting the degree apprenticeship to my regional BAME network. It isn’t easy to balance all the demands of study, work, and family, but if you have a supportive network and, crucially, a supportive line manager and mentor, you can achieve things that you never dreamed of.