https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/takeover-challenge-2025/
Takeover Challenge 2025
4 Feb 2025, 1 p.m.
Takeover Challenge is a national event that welcomes children and young people into real-life decision-making positions in organisations. Every year GOSH welcomes young people into a wide range of roles, allowing them to see 'behind the scenes', and to work with key decision makers and staff for the day.
This year's GOSH Takeover Challenge will take place on Thursday 29 May 2025, 10am - 3pm.
How to apply
Applications are now open.
Applications close: Friday 14 March 2025. (Applications may close early in the case of high demand)
Application steps:
- Please complete the above application form
- Your parent or carer must then complete a consent form (we will email this to them)
Both of these forms must be received by Friday 14 March 2025.
We will confirm by mid-April if your application has been successful.
FAQs
You must be a GOSH patient or sibling to take part.
You must be between the ages of eight to 18.
Some examples of previous roles that have been 'taken over' include:
- CEO
- Head of sustainability
- Head of play
- X-ray Superintendent
- Chief nurse
- Director of Research and Innovation
- Medical director
In 2025 we will have lots of different roles available to Takeover. In your application pack you can let us know the type of role you are interested in.
We will try our best to match you to a role which we think you will enjoy. In the application form, we ask about your interests, and if there is a particular type of role or department you would like to ‘Takeover’.
We suggest you put down the types of role you'd be interested in. For example you may be really interested in taking over a job within senior leadership, or you may want to take over a job which will involve getting to interact with lots of patients. You might fancy trying out something creative, or you might like to try a job involved in the practical running of the hospital. You may just want a surprise- that's great too!
It is helpful to us if you write you are interested in 'getting experience of senior leadership' and 'leading a large workforce and organisation', rather than simply 'I want to be CEO and nothing else!'.
If you put down a specific role, we can’t guarantee we will be able to give you this exact role. We will try our best to assign you a role which is close or related, or likely to interest you.
We do our best to match everyone to a role they will be interested in. If you are assigned a role that isn’t your top choice, we really encourage you to take part and give it your best shot. Often, the roles which might not sound the most interesting on paper, may take you by surprise and turn out to be really fun!
Unfortunately this is not a paid opportunity.
Yes, we can reimburse travel for young people taking part.
You'll be getting to experience working in a busy specialist children's hospital, but this is anything but regular work experience. You won't be making teas or doing photocopying here!
We welcome young people to 'Takeover' some of our most senior and varied staff roles. In the past this has included steering senior meetings, leading the CEO walk-around and getting involved with GOSH Arts curation, and hospital-wide Play team activities.
We will let you know in mid-April 2025 if your application has been successful.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you are no longer able to take part in Takeover Challenge.
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