Dr Paula Holt Archives - Destination Chesterfield

University receives gold Ministry Of Defence award for supporting armed forces community

27th July 2021

The University of Derby has been awarded Gold in the 2021 Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for its commitment to supporting the Armed Forces community.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards and encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same.

Gold award holders must have signed the Armed Forces Covenant, employ people from the Armed Forces, hold a valid ERS Silver Award and proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials in their recruiting and selection processes.

As part of its commitment to the ERS, Derby has been working to embed and demonstrate support to the Armed Forces across all levels and departments of the organisation. In 2017, the University signed the Armed Forces Covenant and reaffirmed its commitment in 2020.

The University has revised its recruitment process to ensure members of the Armed Forces are recognised when they apply for roles at the University and it supports the ‘Step into Health’ initiative with the University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, to encourage veterans to consider careers in the NHS.

I am incredibly proud that the University has received this prestigious award for our work with serving and former Armed Forces personnel and their families.

Dr Paula Holt MBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, who served as an army officer, has been appointed Armed Forces Champion for the institution and is working closely with a range of veteran and military support organisations and charities to ensure that there is support for veterans, reservists and cadet adult volunteers.Speaking about the Gold award, Dr Holt said: “I am incredibly proud that the University has received this prestigious award for our work with serving and former Armed Forces personnel and their families.

“As well as engaging in research we actively support veterans and their families across Derbyshire and beyond. We have engaged in employability and resettlement activities and have ensured our own policies and working practices support and encourage staff commitment to reservist and cadet activities.’’

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said: “I am delighted that the University of Derby has been awarded the Ministry of Defence’s highest badge of honour in recognition of our commitment to the Armed Forces community.

“At Derby, we are keen to attract service leavers as employees, and to encourage them to start new careers, education and training with us, recognising the outstanding transferable skills that veterans bring that can be built on in a second career.”

Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Leo Docherty, added: “I would like to thank all the organisations who have proven their support for the Defence community during such unprecedented and challenging times.

“The vast range of those recognised this year demonstrates how employing the Armed Forces community makes a truly positive and beneficial impact for all employers, regardless of size, sector or location.”

The University of Derby supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

University of Derby St. Helena Campus, Chesterfield

A Year at St. Helena- Update from Dr Paula Holt MBE, Destination Chesterfield Board Member

21st December 2020

The following blog has been written by Destination Chesterfield board member, Dr Paula Holt MBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby.

Dr Holt covers the progress made this year at Chesterfield’s St. Helena University of Derby Campus, along with the challenges faced by the University throughout the Covid-19 pandemic…

2020 started like any other year at the University of Derby’s St Helena Campus in Chesterfield. Our September cohort of Nursing students had settled in, we were preparing to welcome a new cohort in March, our calendar of business events kicked off, and our business incubation tenants returned after the Christmas break. But life and study changed dramatically in March, when the government announced a UK-wide lockdown due to Coronavirus.

Staff and students adapted quickly to new ways of working as teaching moved to online delivery, and later to a blended approach with a mixture of on-campus and remote learning.

Around 500 of our nursing students from the University’s College of Health, Psychology and Social Care have supported frontline workers in local hospitals and other care settings. The University has provided a range of support to the NHS, local councils, organisations and communities, including the loan of a digital mobile x-ray machine to Chesterfield Royal Hospital, iPads to help patients keep in touch with their families while in hospital and extensive donations of PPE when supply was low.

As we approach the end of the year, we also move towards the completion of the D2N2 Local Growth Fund (LGF) project to develop the Chesterfield University Campus, which we started back in November 2015. The £3.48 million investment from the LGF, plus investment from the University, has allowed us to deliver higher level skills opportunities for school leavers and adult learners, many of which are the first in their family to go to university, and support the economic growth and resilience of businesses in Chesterfield.

I am delighted that, six months before the deadline, we have hit all LGF output targets set for project, including learner numbers, short courses completed, job creation, knowledge transfer partnerships, and refurbished learning space. This is testament to the hard work of our teaching staff, commercial team and strategic partners, including Destination Chesterfield, Chesterfield Borough Council, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and Derbyshire Voluntary Action.

CommUNIty Chesterfield, a National Lottery funded project putting the ‘UNI’ into the community, has supported residents, the voluntary sector and students through this challenging period. We have missed not having face to face contact with the community on campus, however we have been reaching out in various ways, such as student placements, virtual shared learning sessions and community led initiatives.

As a University, we take our civic role seriously, and I am immensely proud of the work our staff and students have been doing during the pandemic. As we look ahead to 2021 we will embrace the new ‘normal’, learning from the creativity and innovation this strange period has manifested, and we will continue to support the Chesterfield community and businesses through, and beyond, these challenging times.

The University of Derby supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.