You are here
Apprenticeships
Contents
Apprenticeships are a key way for people to learn on the job, both for new starters to the NHS and for existing members of staff, allowing learners the opportunity to gain a qualification and apply their learning while continuing to earn a salary.
Apprenticeships are also a key Government and HEE priority. With the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy and Reforms in 2017, HEE has continued to work with employers, government bodies and trade unions to continue the progression of the apprenticeship agenda in the NHS.
Specifically, HEE has been mandated to contribute to the development of apprenticeship standards in health, and is currently working with colleagues at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Skills for Health, as well as Trailblazer Chairs to make sure there are a wide range of standards from levels 2-7 available for employers and students to use.
Healthcare Apprenticeship Standards Online
Commissioned by HEE, Skills for Health has developed Healthcare Apprenticeship Standards Online (HASO), a tool to help health sector managers in England find a wide range of apprenticeships to train staff in clinical and non-clinical roles. For all the latest news on apprenticeship standards that are available to deliver, those in development, expressions of interest and to comment on consultations please visit HASO.
HASO Toolkit – support for 25% transfers
Transferring Apprenticeship Funds
If organisations pay the apprenticeship levy they can transfer apprenticeship funds to other organisations to pay for their apprenticeship training and assessment.
Skills for Health has published information on how the transfer process works as well as expressions of interest forms for receiving and transferring organisations and a frequently asked questions document. Information and resources can be found on the Skills for Health Levy Transfer Resources page.
Quality Principles
Working with the National Skills Academy for Health , we have developed a set of principles to ensure excellent practice in apprenticeship provision across UK health care organisations, to read more and to access resources to enable organisations to deliver quality apprenticeships visit our Skills for Health website.
Integrated apprenticeships
Some research has been completed to identify best practice in delivering integrated health and social care apprenticeships. You can find out more about the research here.
A range of case studies are available from Skills for Health. Further examples of best practice are available on our best practice and case studies page.
Under the direction of the Education and Skills Funding Agency, part of the Department for Education, apprenticeships are being reviewed and developed into new Apprenticeship Standards.
All of the latest information about the development of new apprenticeship standards relevant to health is available on Healthcare Apprenticeship Standards Online.
For queries relating to the Trailblazer Reviews, please contact Jane Hadfield on Jane.Hadfield@hee.nhs.uk.
Working with the National Skills Academy for Health we have developed a new set of principles to ensure excellent practice in apprenticeship provision across UK health care organisations.
Skills for Health have developed Healthcare Apprenticeship Standards Online (HASO), a tool to help health sector managers in England find a wide range of apprenticeships to train staff in clinical and non-clinical roles.
HEE is also working with the Healthcare Apprenticeship Standards Online team to develop an implementation toolkit for apprenticeships, covering a range of topics from procurement to organisational strategy and planning, and assisting employers with implementing apprenticeships in their organisation.
Work is ongoing to improve the way we collect data on apprenticeships and ensure that we can demonstrate not only the numbers, but the impact and the career progression for those who have successfully completed apprenticeships. Over the last five years, the NHS has achieved over 70,000 apprenticeship starts, and we are above the national average for representation of those from a BAME background.
The NHS Employers website provides further information about apprenticeships and traineeships, and how they can be used to benefit your patients, your organisation and your community. Some of the apprenticeship programmes on offer include health and social care, business administration, estates and facilities including mechanical and electrical engineering, dental and pharmacy services.
For further information on apprenticeships and careers in the NHS, please visit Health Careers, Step into the NHS or NHS Jobs.
With a wide range of apprenticeships available, each NHS employer will work with you and offer support to ensure you are choosing the right apprenticeship, agree a training plan and do all that they can to support you throughout your learning.
You can find a huge range of content about apprenticeships in the NHS on our YouTube playlist..
This year sees a particular focus for HEE on working to increase both the number and proportion of individuals with disabilities or impairments accessing apprenticeships in the NHS. This comes as a result of data analysis of the NHS apprentice workforce, which illustrates that disabled people are underrepresented in comparison to the UK working age population and apprentices in other sectors. There are clear links with government priorities to increase employment of disabled people and improve the diversity within apprenticeships.
One strand of this work includes a new programme, commissioned by HEE and delivered by NHS Employers, entitled Apprenticeships for All, which is now underway in 20 organisations.
HEE is a member of the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions’ Network, chaired by Helen Grant MP. The network champions apprenticeships and diversity amongst employers and encourages more people from underrepresented groups, including those with disabilities or impairments, women and members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to consider apprenticeships.