Additional information for health apprenticeships

Enquiry through to enrolment could take anything up to twelve months. There are many areas to be covered before a place can be offered and before beginning a programme.

Before the application process can start, the employer must consider carefully the suitability of their employee, and the value that a higher apprenticeship can offer both employer and employee. The Apprenticeships Team can provide employers with a pre-application skills scan to support the assessment of employees, ensure they apply for the most appropriate apprenticeships, and demonstrate that the apprenticeship they wish to do will lead to the development of new knowledge, skills and behaviours.

Each apprenticeship programme has a set of entry criteria, and these must be met by the employee prior to completing an application.

If they employer wishes their employee to commence on an NMC approved apprenticeship, such as the Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship or the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, the employer must be an NMC Approved Employer.

All courses require a collaborative interview between the employer, applicant and course staff. If an offer is made, a disclosure and Barring Service check and an Occupational Health screening will need to be cleared - details on Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS) and Occupational Health Screenings can be found below.

Prior to the commencement of the apprenticeship, a contract between the employer and University must be completed. A full commitment statement between the employer, apprentice and School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences must be written, agreed, and signed. The employer must have identified a practice mentor, named according to the course nomenclature, and there could be clear processes in place to support the apprentice for the duration of their programme.

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service Checks (DBS) will be undertaken by the employer and cleared, prior to the apprentice’s commencement of the course.

Occupational Health Screening will be undertaken by the employer and cleared, prior to the apprentice’s commencement of the course.

Our courses adhere to the Equality Act (2010) and applicants with additional needs will be interviewed and assessed on an individual basis as appropriate, and in partnership with the Student Disability Support Team. This could take up to six months to complete.

It is a requirement of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) that all employers wishing to send apprentices onto NMC approved courses, which includes the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship and the Registered Nurse Apprenticeship courses, must themselves be NMC approved employers. To be an NMC approved employer you must have met the NMC education standards for student supervision and assessment (SSSA) and successfully completed a formal review by the NMC. In order to get approval, a declaration form needs to be completed in conjunction with the University. There is then a period of NMC Review whilst they make their decision regarding approval, and to confirm this to the University in writing.

Once employers have gone through the approval process and have gained approval by the NMC, their employees may then apply for our NMC approved courses.

If the employer has not been a partner with the School of Sport and Health Sciences before, then this relationship and NMC approval could take up to twelve months to establish.

It is important to note that approval by the NMC cannot be guaranteed. However, the School of Sport and Health Sciences would like to work with employers to achieve this approval, and would be happy to assist with the steps necessary to begin the application process to become an NMC approved employer. If you are an employer with a potential employee for one of our NMC approved apprenticeships, and you wish to work with us, please get in touch with Debbie Rolfe D.Rolfe@brighton.ac.uk.