New campaign shows that age is no barrier when it comes to apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are still only seen as an option for young people or for who do not want to go to university, according to new research published today by Health Education England (HEE).The campaign aims to promote apprenticeships in the NHS as a viable first choice for people of all ages, with more than 150 different roles on offer. Apprentices in post point to major benefits such as getting paid to learn and the chance to gain experience on the job.  

Key findings include:

• Misconceptions about apprenticeships still prevail amongst school and college pupils, 86 per cent of those young people in education believe apprenticeships are only for those looking to pursue a trade such as plumbing and engineering.
• 37 per cent of 14-18 year olds believe existing apprenticeships are geared more towards boys than girls and a further 59 percent said they believe all apprenticeships are badly paid.
• 49 per cent of young people said they didn’t believe apprenticeships were available in the jobs or careers they are interested in, demonstrating a significant lack of awareness of the variation of apprenticeships available in the NHS and beyond.

Kirk Lower, HEE’s National Lead for Apprenticeships commented:

The traditional view for many is that apprenticeships are less valuable than A Levels or degrees, despite many apprenticeships now leading to a third level qualification or higher.

One of the challenges is making people of all ages aware of the opportunities for apprenticeships in the NHS, with more than 150 different apprenticeship roles on offer.

The NHS in England has committed to creating 100,000 apprenticeships – almost seven times the current number – across the country by 2020.

Laura Roberts, who leads on the national programmes to increase access to careers in the NHS said:

The theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is ‘Ladder of Opportunity’ and we want to show people that the NHS provides opportunities for people of all age groups. Apprenticeships provide routes into a variety of careers in the NHS and are an excellent opportunity to earn, gain work experience and achieve nationally recognised qualifications at the same time. For those young people still wondering whether there’s an apprenticeship opportunity for them, the answer is #NHyeS.

A total of 1,500 14-18 year olds in secondary or tertiary education, 18-45 year olds not in education or training (NEETs) and 25–45 year olds looking to change careers were surveyed

As part of its #NHyeS campaign, the NHS is sharing the personal stories of some of its apprentices.  

Joshua Stephenson (pictured) is a 20-year-old Medical Engineering Technician from North Devon. When given the choice between a university place and an apprenticeship, Joshua chose the apprenticeship as it offered him a real opportunity to get on-the-job experience while training.

At the age of 17, Joshua started a Medical Engineering Technician apprenticeship at Barnstaple Hospital, North Devon. He was responsible for repairing vital hospital equipment, chasing repairs, and scheduling Preventative Planned Maintenance on the wards. Joshua completed training courses with major medical engineering companies to allow him to build up a working knowledge of their equipment, so he could repair it. Joshua is now a full-time Medical Engineering Technician at North Devon District Hospital and wants to continue to work his way up the ladder.

For more information visit the Find an Apprenticeship service and www.stepintotheNHS.nhs.uk. For the latest apprenticeship opportunities visit www.jobs.nhs and search for apprenticeships.

HEE has also launched a range of downloadable materials for NHS employers to support them in promoting apprenticeships available in trusts and other clinical and community settings.

During National Apprenticeship Week and throughout the year, HEE will be exhibiting at a series of free events across the country.