NHS South Yorkshire is supporting National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) which takes place between 5 to 11 February 2024 and celebrates the benefits and impact apprenticeships can have on communities, local businesses and regional economies.
The NHS is the nation’s biggest trainer of apprentices, with more than 20,000 starting last year. Around half of our apprenticeships in South Yorkshire are career starters and the rest are upskilling of existing staff to enable professional development.
Apprenticeships offer routes into many of the more than 350 NHS careers available. This includes a range of higher or degree apprenticeships (equivalent to foundation, full Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees), including nursing and the Allied Health Professions.
NHS apprenticeships also include a variety of entry-level roles including support staff – helping employers attract talent from local communities and ensuring people from all backgrounds get the chance to pursue a rewarding career.
Christine Joy, Chief People Officer at NHS South Yorkshire said:
“Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of attracting new talent to the NHS and also for developing the skills of the existing workforce. With hundreds of different NHS careers to choose from, there are a variety of jobs which can be done through an apprenticeship meaning people can earn money while they learn the necessary skills – working for their local NHS, but without having to go to university first.”
Apprentices are a crucial part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and NHS England aims to triple the number being trained by 2030, so they make up more than one in five new recruits.
The Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship pilot, due to be launched this year, is the first of its kind in the world and an important step forward in helping to attract a wider range of candidates to medicine. It will initially be delivered with three Higher Education Institutes.
With the increased focus on data and move to electronic patient records there is also a focus on digital apprenticeships to attract new talent into tech roles in the NHS, with opportunities ranging from Data Technician to Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist.
More information on NHS apprenticeships is available here: NHS apprenticeships | NHS Health Careers.