Apprenticeships in the NHS ultimately lead to better patient care. Find out how apprenticeship training can benefit your NHS Trust by creating a skilled, diverse, flexible and motivated workforce.
Productivity
Apprentices improve productivity across all sorts of organisations, including the public sector. They enable you to delegate admin tasks, freeing up time for more senior members of your team, and allow you to respond to demands within the Trust more quickly and efficiently. Apprenticeships have also been shown to improve staff retention, morale, loyalty and engagement, which also reduces sickness absence. With apprenticeships available from level 2 to 7, in a variety of clinical and non-clinical roles, there is training which can be accessed to improve the productivity of any team. Having apprenticeship training as part of your workforce development strategy can even improve productivity far beyond the specific team, as it embeds a work-based learning culture in the Trust and inspires regular learning within all departments.
Skills Gaps
Wokforce shortages pose a significant risk to the NHS workforce and patients. Apprenticeship training can be used for both new and existing members of staff to reduce these skills gaps, complementing and shaping the workforce supply strategy. Introducing new young talent is critical to the future success of any organisation and this is particularly important for the NHS which has an ageing workforce. Newly recruited apprentices are usually highly motivated and bring fresh ideas to the team. The training can also be used to upskill existing members of staff, in order to keep pace with developments in technology and working practices, and acquire a broader range of flexible and transferable skills. Having support staff with a broader skillset enables you to rotate them across departments to meet organisational demands.
Representative Workforce
Research has shown that the patient experience and health outcomes are improved by having a workforce that is diverse and representative. Having a Trust which reflects the population that it serves leads to a better understanding of patient needs. Apprenticeships are a fantastic tool to recruit from your local community, widening your talent pool and increasing equality, diversity and inclusion within your NHS Trust. Using the training for existing staff also gives the opportunity for people from different backgrounds to progress into more senior roles.
Reduced Costs
Improved staff retention, lower vacancy rates, reduced sickness leave and lower agency costs are just some of the ways in which apprenticeships can reduce costs. As NHS Trusts already have to contribute to the Apprenticeship Levy, there is a designated pot of money that can be used for the training, without having to rely on finding additional funding sources for expensive commercial courses. Most training providers will also advertise and recruit apprentices for you at little or no cost, so you don’t have to pay for recruitment agencies or advertising.
NHS Apprenticeships
We currently have apprentices in 17 NHS Trusts across England, undertaking a variety of different standards such as Medical Administration, Customer Service, Team Leader/Supervisor and Management Apprenticeships. If you’d like to find out how we can support your workforce development strategy, please get in touch today.