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Employ and apprentice in your team
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, with many different areas of work to consider.
There are more and more apprenticeship opportunities developing in the NHS by the day, with the recent introduction of the apprenticeship levy there stand to be many more over the next few years.
Almost any department could potentially support an apprentice, and supervising them can be a good development opportunity for members of staff in your team.
What is an apprenticeship?
Apprentices are aged 16 or over and combine working with studying for a work-based qualification - from GCSEs or equivalent up to degree level.
Are they just available to new staff?
Apprentices can be new or current employees. Although many positions are for new employees there are also higher level apprenticeships which can provide a great development opportunity to existing staff who want to progress and earn a qualification as a part of their role.
How are they funded?
In most cases an apprentice role would be paid for directly from your departments budget, although there may be different arrangements under specific circumstances at your employer.
How much are they paid?
Apprentices must be paid at least the minimum wage, although some trusts will pay more. The minimum level can vary depending on their age. You can find more information about wages for apprentices here.
Setting up an apprenticeship
What's required to host an apprentice?
Your apprentice must:
- Work with experienced staff
- Learn job-specific skills
- Study for a work-based qualification during their working week (for example, at a college or training organisation)
How are they trained and assessed?
Apprentices will normally have an assessor assigned to them to support them with the academic elements of their training, this may be undertaken by staff from your trust or by an external training provider.
How do I look into setting up an apprenticeship?
You'll need to talk to the apprenticeship lead or team from your host trust in order to explore your options for hosting an apprentice.