The Nursing associate apprenticeship is for healthcare workers currently employed in a healthcare setting, usually working as a healthcare assistant. It is for those who are motivated to expand their role and who want to enhance the delivery of care to patients and the public. Nursing Associate apprentices need to be open to learning new skills and knowledge. Nursing associates should be emotionally intelligent and resilient individuals, able to manage their own personal health and well-being, recognise boundaries of their practice and know when and how to access support.

The benefits to employers of investing in the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship include:

• Enhanced skill mix within the workplace
• Improved service delivery and patient care
• Staff that are trained to meet the needs of the local population and the local service
• Staff retention

Programme delivery

The programme is structured over three 12-week semesters, commencing in October, February and June, where apprentices complete 11 weeks of teaching and allocated assessment time. We offer two patterns of placement delivery, a weekly release of 1 day per week throughout the whole academic year, or block placements of 5 weeks over 2 periods. Alongside university teaching and placement, apprentices are also expected to spend time within their workplaces undertaking learning activities outside of their usual job role. The delivery of this can be adapted to individual employers in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council requirements for qualification as a Nursing Associate.

Practice learning

Apprentices have the opportunity to experience the role of the Nursing Associate in a variety of practice learning environments within acute NHS hospital environments, community services and within primary care to ensure learning within all four fields of nursing – adult, child, mental health and learning disability.

Off the job learning: Apprentices undertake off the job learning each week in University and also in external clinical placements, either on the day release or block placement model.

On the job learning: Apprentices will be working within their usual workplaces under the requirements of Protected Learning Time which requires participation in activities outside of the normal remits of their substantive role. Examples of this could include observing and participating in clinical tasks, shadowing other professionals or undertaking varied duties under the supervision of a registered professional.

Duration & intakes

It is expected that most apprentices will complete the qualification in the minimum time of two years. There are currently 3 intakes a year for the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship:

February – This is usually based at the Luton Campus. Combined employer/university interviews usually take place between August and the end of September.

June – This is usually based at the Bedford Campus. Combined employer/university interviews usually take place between Feb and the end of March.

September – This is usually based at the Luton Campus. Combined employer/university interviews usually take place between May and the end of July.

Applications must be submitted at least 8 weeks before the start date of the programme. Support is available to both employers and applicants to ensure the apprenticeship onboarding process is as smooth as possible.