We caught up with Joseph, 29, a healthcare assistant based in Plymouth, who specialises in mental health support. In this interview, Joseph talks about what he loves most about his job and how FuturU’s free training has helped him to save money and grow in confidence.
How did you get into healthcare?
I’m originally from Nigeria and my background is in education. Before moving to the UK, I spent four years working as both a teacher and special educational needs teacher in Togo – one of the smallest countries in Africa.
I moved to the UK in 2022 to improve my prospects. I quickly saw a lot of synergies between the healthcare and education sectors, and wanted to use my passion as a teacher to support more people with autism and other learning difficulties. I like that I’m able to combine my skills as a teacher and healthcare worker to help people achieve their potential and make life easier for them.
I’ve been working in the healthcare space for just over a year now, mainly in NHS hospitals as a mental health support worker.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
The best part of the job is being able to give someone hope and make their day worthwhile. I love showing them how their weaknesses can become their greatest strengths.
For example, I recently supported an autistic patient who loves football. The day I met him, he was playing in his first football match and scored lots of goals and was made captain of the team. I gave him an idea to approach an NGO about becoming their ambassador, and use his skills to educate people that being disabled doesn’t limit your passion or make it impossible to achieve your goals. I didn’t expect anything to happen but the next time I spoke to him, he was already having meetings with the NGO. He ended up getting the job as an ambassador – I was so happy for him.
Did you have to pay for any of your healthcare training?
When I started out, I spent around £300-£400 to complete 10 mandatory training courses. Paying for training meant I had to reduce my travelling and cut back on food, so I was only eating once or twice a day. I remember asking a friend to lend me £150 just to attend some of the courses. However, I didn’t really have a choice as I needed to acquire the skills and knowledge to work in this field.
How did you feel when you discovered FuturU’s free training?
When I discovered FuturU in May 2023, It was a bit of a shock when I found out that their training was free. I thought there must be hidden charges! That was until I tried more than 20 courses and didn’t have to pay a dime. I kept looking at my payslips to see if any money had been deducted but nothing had!
Discovering FuturU is one of the best things that’s happened to me. As a healthcare worker, you have to renew your training every year and that costs a lot of money. FuturU has helped me save lots of money while also gaining new skills and knowledge.
How accessible is FuturU?
FuturU’s platform is easy to navigate and understand. It’s also very flexible and I can access the courses whenever I want on my phone or laptop. If I’m working a night shift and the client is sleeping, I often take the opportunity to do some of my mandatory training on my phone. By the end of shift, I may have completed two courses.
I can also use my FuturU certificates for any jobs I apply for. For example, I was offered some work as a special needs teaching assistant in a school and needed to prove I had completed all of my safeguarding training. They accepted my FuturU certificates, which are CPD-accredited, which meant I was able to start quickly.
How else has the training helped you?
I think healthcare training should be free because it will help encourage more people to work in the sector. One of the reasons why people shy away from the healthcare sector is because of the cost involved in this training.
I hope to navigate into nursing in the future. However, the access to nursing programme costs £1,900, which is money I don’t have at the moment. If the healthcare sector can increase funding to support this, I think that would be a great initiative and encourage more people to pursue it.
