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The aim of widening participation is to ensure that all those who have the ability to benefit from higher education have the opportunity to do so.

Our Widening Participation team are responsible for supporting apprenticeships and other career transition programmes relevant to band 1 to 9 staff. These programmes are freely available to all staff and they help to build on the skills of our workforce and provide them with opportunities for career progression. We are available to advise and support learners who are interested in undertaking these programmes.

We work with clinical and non-clinical services, prospective learners, their managers, local training providers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), to ensure relevant training opportunities are available to meet the needs of our workforce and that all learners have an outstanding experience of studying at Berkshire Healthcare.

Apprenticeships are a great way to learn, earn and gain invaluable experience of real work whilst studying. Berkshire Healthcare offers a wide variety of apprenticeship programmes to staff working in both clinical and non-clinical roles.   

Apprenticeship programmes are a financial investment for the Trust and could cost up to £ 30,000 per programme including salary support, study leave and supervision. Therefore, it is important to explore the options carefully and understand the commitment prior to making the application for apprenticeship programmes.  

The support of your line manager is a mandatory requirement prior to commencing the application process. Please read the information on this page carefully, click on the relevant links for more information and to find out your eligibility for the programme you are interested to undertake. Best wishes for your application and apprenticeship journey. 

For some basic information on the principles of apprenticeships please read the apprenticeships info sheet

Clinical Apprenticeship Programmes (with practice placements) 

A clinical apprenticeship is a healthcare apprenticeship programme where the candidate will become a registered professional upon successful completion of all aspects of the programme. Candidate is required to undertake clinical placements, supervised practice, and practice assessment supported by a named supervisor (e.g., mentor, practice supervisor, practice assessor, practice educator). These programmes normally involve a significant amount of time (80-100%) out of work attending practice placements as required by the programme. 

• Nursing apprenticeships - What's on offer 2023/24

• AHP apprenticeships - What's on offer 2022/23

• You can also find the details of these programmes on the relevant HEI websites 

  • UWL

  • Oxford Brookes  

  • Bucks New University

  • Coventry University

 

Non-Clinical Apprenticeship Programmes (No practice placements) 

All apprenticeship programmes that do not require a clinical practice placement and proficiency assessment would fall under this category. This may include entry level and early career apprenticeships, nursery apprenticeships and other higher level apprenticeships such as leadership programmes.

• Non-Clinical Apprenticeships - What's on offer 2022/23

Training provider webpages 

• Lifetime  

• Chiltern 

• NHS Leadership academy

  • NHS Leadership Academy Apprenticeship Pathways

• Other providers (coming soon) 

 

 

Through our Careers Clinics, we support our staff with guidance and advice regarding career development and training opportunities. These will be advertised through L&D News, but you can get in touch by emailing us at apprenticeships@berkshire.nhs.uk.

Careers Events

We visit schools to promote health careers and raise awareness of the variety of roles within the NHS, actively promoting the “Step Into the NHS” competition. We also encourage staff to become NHS Ambassadors to make sure there is representation from all services and disciplines at careers and school events. We maintain the NHS Ambassador database and schedule attendance at events.

If you want to volunteer to become an NHS Ambassador, email NHSambassadors@berkshire.nhs.uk.

T-Levels

This year, we'll be welcoming T-Level students into our Trust. These Level 3 learners will complete industrial placements (similar to work experience) with us, putting their knowledge into practice as they learn. It will also provide us with a pipeline of potential new recruits.

New Apprentices

We encourage services to recruit new Apprentices (Business Administrators/IT Helpdesk Technicians/Healthcare Support Workers) to provide them with their first introduction into work.

We also work in partnership with our ICS colleagues to introduce rotational apprenticeships and attend careers events to promote the NHS as an employer of choice.

If you're interested in learning more about taking on an Apprentice, email us at apprenticeships@berkshire.nhs.uk.