Learn About Apprenticeships

---

 An apprenticeship is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid. You’re an employee with a contract of employment and holiday leave. By the end of an apprenticeship, you'll have the right skills and knowledge needed for your chosen career. 

You can become an apprentice by:

• Applying directly for an apprenticeship vacancy being advertised by the Trust.
• Starting an apprenticeship within your current role at the Trust as a way to upskill and develop.

An apprenticeship will help you develop new skills and grow your exisiting knowledge. You can expect your apprenticeship to be rewarding, often providing you with opportunities to spend time with other members of your team learning about their roles.

You can expect to have Off-The-Job hours where you might be writing assignments, shadowing colleagues, listening to webinars or even attending events. You will also have regular check-ins with your apprenticeship coach or assessor. Some courses are university based, and you will spend time on campus or on rotation experiencing other departments and Trusts.

There are two ways that you can apply for an apprenticeship:

• If you are currently employed by the Trust you can complete the online application form, and meet with our apprenticeship training manager.
• If you are looking to commence an apprenticeship within the NHS you can find available vacinaies advertised on NHS jobs - www.jobs.nhs.uk

An apprenticeship can be the perfect way for you to develop your career, or to gain a qualification you didn't have the opportunity to access before. Apprenticeships are designed to complement the role you work in, and to be supportive and informative. Apprenticeships don't suit everyone, there are elements of self study, and for some, classroom environments such as college are a preference. 

If you aren't sure if an apprenticeship would suit you, contact our apprenticeship manager for a 1:1 session to find out what your needs are, and what might work best for you. We can provide you with examples fo the work you might undertake, arrange for you to meet training providers, and chat to your manager with you.

During your apprenticeship, you’ll be assessed to make sure you’re achieving the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for your chosen apprenticeship.

At the end of your apprenticeship, you'll complete an end-point assessment (usually referred to as EPA) to make sure you’re fully competent in your specific occupation. Your EPA, is carried out by an independent organisation known as an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO). It usually includes a practical demonstration of your skills as well as a discussion with an assessor that demonstrates your learning and your ability to do your chosen occupation.

Your employer or training provider will tell you what to expect and when the assessment will take place as the exact assessment will depend on the apprenticeship you are doing. 

What you will be doing will depend on your apprenticeship and the programme that has been developed by your training provider, so training for the same apprenticeship might look different between each provider. To give you an idea, here are just a few examples of what you could expect from your training:

• Face to face workshops
• Online workshops
• On-demand, self guided e-learning modules
• 1-2-1 tutor sessions
• Classroom sessions
• Innovative learning - gamification, VR, AR etc.
• 
  

Some providers may stick to one type of learning, whilst others might have a mix.