Apprenticeships
- What is an apprentice/apprenticeship?
- Who can apply for an apprentice role or apprenticeship programme?
- What types of apprenticeship programmes are available at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital?
- How long does an apprenticeship take?
- What roles are available once I have completed an apprenticeship?
- How many apprentices are employed at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital?
- How do I apply for an apprentice role?
What is an apprentice/apprenticeship?
An apprentice role is a real job where you learn, gain experience and get paid. You're an employee with a contract of employment and holiday leave.
At least 20% of your working hours will be spent on training, which delivers new skills that are directly relevant to your apprenticeship.
At the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, our apprentices fall into two different categories:
- Existing members of staff who are using an apprenticeship programme to support their personal development plan.
- Staff who are recruited on a fixed term contract into an apprentice role. These tend to be younger people for whom the role is their first full time paid employment since leaving education (although this isn’t always the case).
Who can apply for an apprentice role or apprenticeship programme?
Anyone can apply for an externally advertised apprentice role – there is no age limit, and anyone who is employed by the Trust can apply for an apprenticeship programme if it’s linked to their current role and agreed with their line manager.
In order to be eligible to receive funding you must be employed by the Trust, or a connected charity as defined by HMRC and you must have the right to work in England.
What types of apprenticeship programmes are available at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital?
Examples of the type of apprenticeship programmes that staff are currently undertaking are:
Level 2 (equivalent to GSCE level)
- Customer Services
- Healthcare Support Worker
- Pharmacy Services
- Production Chef
Level 3 (equivalent to A Level)
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Engineering Maintenance
- Pharmacy Services
- Senior Healthcare Support
- Senior Maternity Healthcare Worker
- Senior Production Chef
- Team Leadership
Level 4 (Foundation degree level)
- Engineering Manufacture
- Mammography Associate
- Project Management
- Senior Culinary Chef
Level 5 and 6 (Degree level)
- Chartered Management
- Diagnostic Radiographer
- Hearing Aid Dispense
- HR Consultant
- Midwife
- Nursing Associate
- Occupational Therapy
- Operations Department Practitioner
- Operations/Departmental Management
- Physio
- Project Management
- Radiography Assistant Practitioner
- Registered Nurse
- Speech and Language Therapist
Level 7 (Masters level)
- Advanced Clinical Practitioner
- Senior Leadership
How long does an apprenticeship take?
Apprenticeship programmes can take anything from 12 months to four years to complete, depending on the subject.
How much will I get paid as an apprentice?
For the first 12 months an apprentice is paid at the Apprentice rate, increasing to the National Minimum Wage/Living Wage for your age band at month 13.
The rates change every April. The current rates can be viewed here.
What roles are available once I have completed an apprenticeship?
Members of staff who have successfully completed an apprenticeship programme are employed in a variety of roles across the hospital e.g. Porters, Domestics, Risk & Governance, Programme Management Office, Ward Clerks, Secretarial, Healthcare Assistants, Human Resources, Nursing.
How many apprentices are employed at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital?
The percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) between, 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, as a proportion of total headcount on 31 March 2023 is 19.63%.
The percentage of apprenticeship starts (both new hires and existing employees who started an apprenticeship) as a proportion of employment starts between 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 is 10.98%.
The percentage of total headcount that were apprentices on 31 March 2023 is 4.35%.
The percentage of total headcount that were apprentices on 31 March 2022 is 3.43%.
How do I apply for an apprentice role?
All apprenticeship roles are advertised on NHS Jobs and on this website (see ‘Apply for a job with us’).