Apprenticeships offer school leavers a route into healthcare jobs
By Gemma Raw
For those who want to combine learning with paid work, the NHS offers apprenticeships for a wide range of frontline healthcare jobs, from nursing to allied health roles.
The cost of living crisis is bound to make some young people think carefully about the financial viability of going to university. Fortunately, for those who have their hearts set on working in healthcare roles, full-time academic study isn't the only option. The NHS offers a variety of apprenticeships which can be taken up by school leavers after GCSEs or A-levels.
Nursing jobs are the most popular choice for NHS apprenticeships. However, there are other opportunities, ranging from allied health jobs such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and radiography to roles in healthcare science and pharmacy.
“The NHS provides apprenticeships for a wide range of different professions and gives people the opportunity to develop into experienced professionals in these fields," said Mark Radford, Health Education England Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nurse. “For example, we are delighted that more than 6,000 prospective nurses have undertaken nursing degree apprenticeships to become registered nurses."
How apprenticeships work
Apprentices can earn, gain work experience and achieve nationally recognised qualifications. Apprenticeships are available at all levels, including level 3 (equivalent to A-levels), levels 4 and 5 (equivalent to a foundation degree and above), and levels 6 and 7 (equivalent to a full bachelor's or Master's degree).
At the end of the apprenticeship period, there's a good chance of being offered permanent employment. If not, the qualifications and experience gained are a good foundation to apply for relevant healthcare jobs at other NHS trusts. Some apprenticeships also carry UCAS points, supporting apprentices in progressing to a full-time university degree course.
Qualified support
The idea of apprenticeships is generally supported by organisations that represent healthcare professionals as a way of widening access to healthcare careers and responding to workforce shortages. This includes the College of Occupational Therapists, which describes degree-level apprenticeships as 'a popular way to study occupational therapy in England'.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) acknowledges that there's a place for an apprenticeship route into nursing. However, in its positioning statement published in 2019, the College expresses concern that nursing degree apprenticeships are not sufficient to solve workforce gap issues. "Only the traditional three-year university route can begin to address the workforce vacancy crisis at the necessary scale and speed," says the document.
Similarly, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) supports apprenticeships with some reservations. In its positioning statement, the Society says that apprenticeships 'have the potential to provide a new, employer-led pipeline to develop and grow the registered and unregistered physiotherapy workforce in all parts of the UK'. However, the document also highlights potential challenges, including the need to ensure that apprenticeships are used to meet service and population needs in sustainable ways, as well as the danger of CPD budgets being cut for the wider workforce to fund apprenticeship costs.
Find out more about NHS apprenticeships here.
