Are you looking to expand your workforce?
Are you keen to develop and retain your existing Staff?
Apprenticeships may be a valuable and viable option for your Practice or PCN to unlock the potential in your staff and recruit new people with a passion for working within the healthcare sector.
If you are looking for a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce then Apprenticeships may be your next step. As well as enabling you to diversify your workforce, Apprenticeships offer your existing staff the opportunity to develop skills that support them both in their current role, as well as with their future career aspirations. This is evidenced by the ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) who stated that “86% of employers said apprenticeships developed skills relevant to their organisation” and “78% reported it improved productivity.”
What is an Apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is on the job training leading to a national qualification, available for both new and existing staff. Anyone over the age of 16, who is not in full time education, can apply to be an apprentice. There is no upper age limit, meaning anyone at any stage of their career could benefit. There are different levels of apprenticeships, from intermediate and advanced to higher and degree levels. This enables employers to pick the most appropriate apprenticeship for the requirements of the job role and the individual’s previous experience, and to provide a clearly defined progression pathway. They can be used to develop the skills and knowledge of both new and existing employees and typically combine on-the-job training at an employer’s location with off-the-job training provided by a training organisation.
Apprenticeships in Primary Care
Apprenticeships can be used to develop new and existing staff in both clinical, administrative and managerial roles and can be used to develop skills in administration, customer service, and in specialist office skills, such as Finance and IT. Apprenticeships are also available for roles such as:
- Administration
- Healthcare support
- Team Leadership/Management
- Data Analytics
Funding
When considering an apprentice, one the of principal factors will be funding, not only the salary but also the educational fees and the overheads. There are however various funding streams available to support an apprentice, and most GP Practices may be eligible for a levy Transfer which could fund upto 100% of the course fees.
There are also national funding programmes (eg ARRS) that could provide monies for salary costs whilst training (Trainee Nurse Associates) or after they they have qualified and taken up a role within the PCN.
PCNs and GP practices may also be eligible for the Government’s Youth Jobs Grant, which can provide up to £3,000 when an employer recruits an eligible 18 to 24-year-old who has been receiving Universal Credit and out of work for at least six months. The grant forms part of the wider Youth Guarantee and could therefore help practices create suitable entry-level roles and employment pathways for young people, subject to the scheme’s employer, vacancy and recruitment conditions. Find out more here: Quick Guide to Employing an Apprentice
How to access funding if you aren’t a levy paying employer
What is a Levy? Not sure if you are a Levy Paying employer? Find out more here
Apprenticeship training for anyone under the age of 25 is fully funded by the Government. For anyone over the age of 25, apprenticeships can be funded via levy transfers or via a ‘co-investment’ model.
Levy Transfer
A levy paying employer (either Local or National) agrees to fund 100% of the course fees for an apprentice who is employed by a non-levy paying organisation- Small Medium Employer (SME). For more information about how to access a Levy Transfer you can contact The Primary care Training hub (put link in here)
Co-Investment model
Non-levy paying employers can reserve 95% of the apprenticeship cost through government funding. This is called ‘co-investment’. This means Non-levy employers pay 5% towards the cost of apprenticeship training. The government will pay the rest (95%) up to the funding band maximum. The 95% funding is paid by the Government straight to the provider. The 5% employer contribution is paid to the provider by the employer.
Ideas about funding can be found here
All employers will also need to register for a Digital Services Account (DAS). Create your GOV.UK One Login or sign in – GOV.UK One Login
The below video shows you how :
A written guide can also be found here
What is the Salary of an Apprentice?
Information on the minimum apprenticeship wage can be found here: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates – GOV.UK
Apprentices are entitled to the apprentice rate if they’re either:
- aged under 19
- aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
Example
An apprentice aged 21 in the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £8.
Apprentices are entitled to the minimum wage for their age if they both:
- are aged 19 or over
- have completed the first year of their apprenticeship
Example
An apprentice aged 21 who has completed the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £12.71.
Whilst the above are the Minimum rates of Pay, there is good evidence to support paying Apprentices above the minimum rate, to ensure the roles are attractive and competitive, meaning you attract more applicants and retain them in Healthcare. PCNs and GP practices may also be eligible for the Government’s Youth Jobs Grant, which can provide up to £3,000 when an employer recruits an eligible 18 to 24-year-old who has been receiving Universal Credit and out of work for at least six months. The grant forms part of the wider Youth Guarantee and could therefore help practices create suitable entry-level roles and employment pathways for young people, subject to the scheme’s employer, vacancy and recruitment conditions. Find out more here: Quick Guide to Employing an Apprentice
Are there mentor/supervision requirements?
Apprentices may need some additional support, however, if planned right from the outset, you can minimise the impact this has on team resources. Short-term additional support will deliver long-term benefits and help staff feel valued and committed to the organisation. Mentoring or supervising apprentices also provides a development opportunity for existing staff. Time given to support apprentices in the initial stages will reap rewards later and help apprentices get up to speed more quickly.
Any Other Considerations….
As part of an apprenticeship, employees are required to engage in applied / new or “Off the Job” (OTJ) training. This is where the individual undertakes applied/new learning as part of the apprenticeship that is undertaken within their contracted working hours. Learning can take place outside the normal working environment.
The time required each week to undertake applied/new learning is calculated by the apprenticeship training provider but equates to approximately 6 hours. This off-the-job training is defined as learning which is undertaken outside of the normal day-to-day working environment and leads towards the achievement of an apprenticeship. This can include training that is delivered at the apprentice’s normal place of work but must not be delivered as part of their normal working duties. Some examples of OTJ training are: Time spent completing written assignments or research, one to one meetings, attending classroom or online taught session, shadowing a colleague, team training, independent research and coaching sessions. OTJ training isn’t necessarily time that will be “lost” to the practice, but with some creativity can be used to add value for all involved.
To be considered as off-the-job training, there are 4 tests. The activity must:
- teach new knowledge, skills, and behaviours
- be directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard
- take place in the apprentice’s normal working hours, and
- exclude ineligible activities (such as initial assessment and English and maths)
Link to infographic below: Steps to help determine if activity counts as off-the-job training
Further information can also be found here Apprenticeship off-the-job training guidance – GOV.UK
Steps to get started…..
View the Top Tips for Employers Here
Apprenticeship Standards
Below are a few examples of apprenticeship standards, to see all apprenticeships relevant to Health and Social Care, you can visit Apprenticeship search / Skills England
| Apprenticeship | Duration | Information |
| Nursing Associate (level 5) | 24 Months | Supporting individuals with all aspects of care including daily living Performing and recording clinical observations including blood pressure, temperature, respirations, pulse. Undertaking clinical tasks including cannulation, venepuncture, ECGs Accurately recording nutritional and fluid intake. Ensuring the privacy, dignity and safety of individuals is maintained at all times |
| Assistant Practitioner (level 5) | 18 – 24 months | health and social care principles and philosophy – including duty of care, person centred care, promoting mental health and well-being and safeguarding and protection healthcare needs from prenatal to end of life care and bereavement support higher clinical skills – including catheterisation, wound care and discharge planning case and risk management – including infection prevention and control team working – including supervising, teaching, mentoring and assessing other staff patient assessment and coordination of care – including implementing and modifying care plans health and safety practices, standards and legislation within a healthcare environment |
| Registered Nurse (Degree) (level 6) | 48 months | helping doctors with physical examinations giving drugs and injections cleaning and dressing wounds using medical equipment working with doctors to decide what care to give checking patients’ progress advising patients and their relatives Registered nurse apprentices specialise in one area: adult nursing, children’s nursing, nursing people with learning disabilities or mental health nursing |
| Business Administrator (level 3) | 12 – 18 months | Skilled in the use of multiple IT packages and systems relevant to the organisation in order to: write letters or emails, create proposals, perform financial processes, record and analyse data. Making recommendations for improvements and present solutions to management. Maintaining records and files, handles confidential information in compliance with the organisation’s procedures. Demonstrating ability to influence and challenge appropriately. |
Career Pathways
Apprenticeships aren’t just for new starters, entire career pathways can be built for new and existing staff as a way to up-skill, develop and retain staff. Skills for Health have created a Pathway tool to help create a clear career pathway using apprenticeships. The tool can be accessed here Occupational Maps: Skills England
Below is an example Apprenticeships pathway for General Practice Nursing.
Example Roles, Standards and Providers
❓ – denotes that whilst the salary cannot be claimed during training, once qualified in the role, the salary could, subject to PCN agreement be claimed via the ARR Scheme.
Useful Resources
Further info
Gloucestershire Primary Care Training Hub remain committed to supporting General Practice to access Apprenticeships and the benefits they bring to workforce planning. If you would like further information or support or have any questions, please contact us at glicb.pcwc@nhs.net