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Apprenticeships at DCHS

Our wider workforce team is responsible for our apprenticeship offer.

The team support our internal workforce to gain recognised qualifications through apprenticeships to enable individuals to develop and grow their Knowledge Skills and Behaviours (KSB’s) in their current roles. The team supports managers to recruit external applicants on an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships may also be undertaken in preparation to move into other roles within the NHS for example Student Nursing Associate Apprenticeship to qualify as a Registered Nursing Associate. We also support a varied range of apprenticeships within our non clinical roles/teams.

We would like to introduce you to:

Apprenticeships - FAQ

Earn, learn and make a difference with an NHS apprenticeship. Our apprenticeships offer routes into many of the more than 350 NHS careers through a mix of on-the-job training and classroom learning.

Find out more at: NHS apprenticeships | NHS Health Careers

An easy way to look for one is by job family. Look at the below link.

Job Families - HASO (skillsforhealth.org.uk)

That is brilliant news and DCHS want you to do an Apprenticeship qualification! This is the very start of an amazing journey.

There are over 750 x different types of apprenticeships and there are over 350 different roles within the NHS. This can be a little over whelming!

If the apprenticeship you are interested in doesn’t appear in this list please follow this link and search the Institute for Apprenticeships website

Apprenticeship search / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education 

We currently offer a variety of qualifications under a different range of apprenticeships. Click on the relevant section to view:

We have created Handouts for some of our more popular Apprenticeship Programmes. Below are links apprenticeship pathways with detail on programme delivery and other relevant information.

For all Apprenticeships. Please be aware application closing dates and programme start dates are subject to change.

Nursing applications are shortlisted twice a year (subject to change): 

Closing Dates for Applications are:

  • 28th Feb for Autumn Cohort.
  • 31st Sept for Spring Cohort.

AHP applications are shortlisted once a year (subject to change): 

Closing Dates for Applications are:

  • 31st September for Spring Cohort.

Assigning a workplace mentor/supervisor is a powerful tool which can ensure your apprentice settles into their role quickly and thrives in the workplace. A mentor/coach is usually separate to a line manager and is someone who provides a support system for the apprentice. They can help your apprentice resolve issues quickly when they don’t feel comfortable talking to their line manager.

Every apprentice needs a workplace mentor - someone there every day who understands and supports their needs, and the concerns that go along with settling into a new role.

  • Don’t assume it’ll be easy – protect time to spend with your apprentice.
  • Make time to help apprentices settle in

Who would make a good mentor?

Someone who is good at:

  • Active listening
  • Questioning
  • Building rapport
  • Offering constructive feedback
  • Setting targets
  • Offering support and guidance
  • Signposting
  • Acting as a role model

A workplace mentor may:

  • Share their knowledge and experiences
  • Provide advice, guidance and feedback
  • Act as a sounding board for ideas and action plans
  • Offer encouragement and support
  • Celebrate the apprentice’s success
  • Identify development opportunities
  • Build an apprentice’s confidence, independence, and self-belief set goals
  • support personal development and wellbeing

We hold monthly virtual information sessions, where you can drop in and have a chat (see calendar).

If you prefer to have something more individual, please book in with us, links below.

Both DHcFT & DCHS – non clinical apprenticeship programmes

Book time with Angela Gilbert

DHcFT Clinical Only – Alex Southgate

Book time to meet with me

Clinical Only - Jane Goodall

 Book time to meet with me

Lisa Lenton

TBC

DCHS Clinical Only - Catherine Anguish

 TBC

DHcFT & DCHS - Speech and Language

Book time with Tracey Nock

 

  1. We would be happy to join one of your team meetings to talk about what is on offer.
  2. Or we can arrange a ms teams call with you to talk further

Please email us at dchst.apprenticeships@nhs.net to request.

 

For clinical apprenticeships, please book time with Tracey Nock, via her link:

For anything else, please book time with Angela Gilbert, via her link:

Apprenticeship First

Yes! All teams are encouraged to take the Apprenticeship First approach Apprenticeships for every role and vacancy. This allows you to support career pathways for people in your teams and will help to attract, develop, and retain your workforce. For example, you can replace a HCSW with a trainee at level 2 and develop them to a band 3, 4 and 5 roles as part of their career journey.

  • Taking the above approach will mean initial cost savings in your team while you develop and transform your workforce.
  • Contact the Wider Workforce Team for more information about Apprenticeship 1st
  • More information can be found on the government website: Apprenticeships.

If you take the above approach, you will have funding in your budget to pay the salary if you are recruiting an apprenticeship to support your future workforce pipeline, by employing apprenticeships you will be investing to save.

No there is no funding for salary backfill however we will pay for all tuition costs.

If Fixed Term: There must be a genuine job available with a contract of employment long enough for an apprentice to complete their apprenticeship programme and End point assessment.

It will depend on your Service budget, but to truly ‘Grow your own talent’, consider substantive. The Apprenticeship programme should be completed and passed before the offer of a substantive post.

Eligibility

Our Trust requires you to have (Maths and English GCSE A* to C or Functional Skills Level 2 or CSE Grade 1) to be able to apply for any of our apprenticeship programmes. You will need to upload the certificates as evidence. Please check as sometimes the paperwork suggest it is a ‘provisional statement of results’. This is not valid, we need the recognised certificate from the Awarding body.

That is fine. Our Trust can request a ‘Statement of Comparability’ from (ENIC) The UK National Agency for International Qualifications. Just contact us via our email to discuss next steps around this. You will need to email us a copy your certificates.

First of all, don’t worry – this is something we can help you with. You will have to take Level 2 Functional Skills in the required subject.

Option 1 - Contact the Qualification Body to request a copy of the required certificate (they may charge you for this).

  1. You can sometimes find your records via this government website (only if after 2010)
  2. How to get a replacement certificate

Get a replacement exam certificate: Who to contact - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Option 2 - Complete a Level 2 Functional Skills in the required subject. We can offer this to you, please see the information in the Functional Skills section above.

Contact us via the following email accounts:

Apprenticeships: dchst.apprenticeships@nhs.net 

To keep in regular with us, join us on Twitter @WiderWorkNHS.

If your query is urgent, you can call us on:

  • Tracey Nock Wider Workforce Manager: 07787 260016  
  • Angela Gilbert Wider Workforce Coordinator: 07880 266055    
  • Jane Goodall Practice Learning Facilitator (Wider Workforce): 07769 925560
  • Lisa Lenton Practice Learning Facilitator (Wider Workforce): 07880 411573
  • Catherine Anguish Practice Learning Facilitator - DCHS (Wider Workforce) 07769 164022
  • Alex Southgate Practice Learning Facilitator – DHcFT (Wider Workforce) 07766 364983