Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are work based training programmes where employees work towards a set of national standards which help employers train people for specific roles. It combines practical training in a job with study. 

Our apprenticeships are available to existing staff at all levels and new recruits to the organisation, if it is relevant to their role and they have their managers approval.

Apprentices are employed and will receive a salary. 

Existing staff undertaking an apprenticeship to develop in their role will continue to be paid at their current rate of pay whilst undertaking an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships generally take between 12- 36 months to complete, depending on their level.  

All apprentices are given time to develop during their working hours, including a requirement for a minimum of 20 per cent ‘off the job’ training. This does not necessarily mean that apprentices must attend college, but they do need to be undertaking some sort of training/development activity.

Individuals can undertake an apprenticeship at any level. There are apprenticeships starting at equivalent to GCSE level, all the way up to Foundation, Honours and Master’s degree level.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare offer a variety of Apprenticeship programmes, in both clinical and non-clinical areas from Level 2 – 7, including: 

• Healthcare Support Worker 
• Assistant Practitioner 
• Healthcare Science Assistant 
• Healthcare Science Associate 
• Healthcare Science Practitioner 
• Assistant Accountant 
• Business Administration 
• Customer Service 
• Digital and Technology 
• Leadership and Management 
• Education and Learning 
• Human Resources & Organisational Development 
• Estates and Facilities

Apprenticeships are a great way to attain a nationally recognised qualification whilst enhancing your professional skills, knowledge and behaviours. 

• Gain job specific skills 
• Further your career potential 
• Earn a wage whilst studying. 
• Gain valuable work experience 
• Get time for study related to your role  
• Achieve nationally recognised qualifications 
• Widening access to career opportunities and progression 

My apprenticeship journey began as a healthcare assistant (HCA) apprentice.

I started on a busy Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP) ward (65+), where I built the foundations and basic skills to become the professional I am today. 

The role involved learning about the healthcare setting as an apprentice and working closely alongside professionals. I really became part of the team, they treated me as one of their own and made some really good friends.

After my apprenticeship finished I gained a permanent HCA within Adult Mental Health (AMH). I was able to transfer a lot of my skills I learnt within my apprenticeship and was also able to apply myself more confidently due to my experiences.

I later decided to apply for university and completed my degree to become a Registered Mental Health Nurse. 

The apprenticeship has stood me in good stead for my nursing career and was definitely very beneficial to me, with regards to experiencing something first-hand and the new learning opportunities that were on offer.  

When I left school and sixth form, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and didn’t even consider nursing as a career. Following my experience of the apprenticeship I feel lucky that I found something unexpected that I really enjoyed. 

I would encourage any young person to consider an apprenticeship to be able to learn on the job whilst also getting paid and having hands on experiences within healthcare.  

My Apprenticeship was with Mental Health Services for Older People, Community Mental Health Team in Stapleford (Broxtowe CMHT).  

During my time in my role working for the CMHT my role consisted of general office duties, pulling clinical information and calling to remind patients of their appointments and creating a database of old notes that needed archiving. I learnt new medical terminology and developed a good telephone manner. 

I was also able to attend some patient visits and come clinics with one of our Dementia Outreach nurses, which allowed me to gain some insight into what the clinical team does to allow me to support them better. 

Once I had completed my Level 2 NVQ in Business Administration I went onto my Level 3 in administration and management and secured a permanent position within the team as a support secretary. I have since progressed again after 2 years and have secured the Clinical Team Secretary position that was available. 

I am also now trying to gain experience to try and get into a more project management-based role and have been amazed by the support I have received during it. I am now supporting in a project with our service manager.  

All of this would not have been possible if I had not applied for an Apprenticeship and got the training and experience that I needed. I will be very grateful for quite some time and don’t plan to stop doing extra training any time soon, if the opportunities are there, they’re there for the taking!

Lisa has worked as a catering assistant for 15 years, and while she was always happy to step up to support the team in the absence of any of the chefs, covering both long & short term chef absences, she never had the confidence to further her aspirations. In 2021 the position of Chef became available and Lisa took the initiative to apply and then successfully impress her managers during the interview demonstrating that she was the better candidate even though she did not have the necessary qualifications but that she was passionate and wanted to develop her skills further and gain a qualification through the apprenticeship scheme.

Since starting her Level 3 Production Chef Apprenticeship, Lisa’s confidence has grown immensely and she has shown determination to complete her apprenticeship goals whilst working through difficult times of the Covid pandemic in a mental health hospital.

Through her learning and development she has improved her understanding of hospital catering, understanding of how to better the patient meal experience especially with the many dietary requirements that catering now need to consider. She has also done work to review the current provision by looking at recipe ideas, creating new menus and improving the overall taste of the food by working with patients, suppliers and her colleagues in the catering team.

Lisa has also been working alongside the Catering Supervisor on improvements required from the Healthcare Food and Drinks Standards. She has gained confidence in training others to improve food safety standards and food presentation, as well as coaching and mentoring new members of the team, always showing patience, care and understanding to meet their needs.

Lisa has acknowledged that she has struggled with some aspects of the course, such as Maths and English, as it is so different from when she was at school, but has thoroughly enjoyed the catering aspect of the apprenticeship and the learning journey it has taken her on. A few years ago she would never have dreamt this is what she would be doing or could achieve.