Financial constraints and issues with placement capacity are ‘hindering’ the growth of nursing apprenticeships, new research has found.
The report, from the University Alliance and the University of Derby highlighted that planned cuts to funding level 7 apprenticeships was one of the major risks that could reduce ‘opportunities for career advancement’.
Dr Denise Baker, chair of the University Alliance Deans of Health Network and co-author of the report, said: ‘Degree apprenticeships are at the heart of NHS England’s plan to grow the healthcare workforce. Despite apprentices valuing the opportunities that apprenticeships bring, our new report highlights that there are still significant challenges that are hindering their expansion: whether it be a lack of capacity for delivering placements, or an off-putting number of burdensome regulations and financial disincentives for employers and educators.’
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A level 7 apprenticeship – equivalent to a master’s degree – can include specialist nursing qualifications, such as school nursing, health visiting, advanced clinical practice and community nursing. Last year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to move level 7 apprenticeships outside the scope of levy funding, requiring individual businesses to fund more of these apprenticeships themselves.
While a policy change is yet to be confirmed, the report warned that this move would affect specialist nursing training and recruitment. Researchers said it would also impact the delivery of targets set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan in 2023, which pledged to increase the proportion of student nurses training through apprenticeships from 9% to 28% by 2031-32.
Patricia Marquis, executive director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, also expressed concern. She said that the report shows that the apprenticeship route is ‘failing to help close the gap left by a broken tuition fee model, with trusts lacking the funding to keep up with costs, while limited clinical placements leave NHS England unable to meet its own targets.’
She called on the Government to ‘deliver new investment in nursing education, in both apprenticeships and traditional degrees,’ and ensure that the ‘levy covers backfill salaries and therefore the full cost of providing a nursing apprenticeship.’
For the report, the researchers used a survey and in-depth qualitative interviews of current and former apprentices and employers and staff at higher education institutions to suggest policy recommendations for employers, universities, policy makers and government to overcome the barriers to reaching targets.
Some of their key recommendations include retaining level 7 apprenticeships for skills and roles in demand, fairer distribution of apprenticeship funding across regions and specialties, upgrading technology and resources in higher education institutions to support apprenticeship management and placements and aligning apprenticeship policies with government workforce plans or strategies to address future workforce needs.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education’s (DfE) recent announcement allowing businesses employing adult apprentices to decide whether a Maths and English qualification should be part of the prescribed course, could be a positive move.
According to the DfE, failing to secure a qualification in the subjects is one of the main reasons for a high percentage of apprentices dropping out, and this flexibility could mean 10,000 more apprentices qualifying per year.
The Government also confirmed plans to reduce the minimum duration of an apprenticeship, from 12 months to 8 months from August 2025.
Bridget Phillipson, secretary of state for education, said: ‘Businesses have been calling out for change to the apprenticeship system and these reforms show that we are listening. Our new offer of shorter apprenticeships and less red tape strikes the right balance between speed and quality, helping achieve our number one mission to grow the economy. Skills England will be a major driver in addressing the skills gaps needed to support employers up and down the country and I look forward to working with the new leadership.’
However, Stephan Evans, chief executive of The Learning and Work Institute, an independent policy organisation focused on lifelong learning, criticised these moves. ‘England is already an outlier compared to other countries, with shorter apprenticeships and far less general education like English and Maths. Lowering standards in this way will increase this disparity.’