London NHSE Apprenticeship Update 05.12.24

Dear all,
Hope this email finds you well. Please see below for all the latest apprenticeship updates:
New Updates:
 
T Levels Week 2024 🎉

Monday marked the start of the national T Levels Week! T Levels Week is an important and exciting opportunity to raise the profile of T Levels and celebrate the successes of your students – we hope you will have the opportunity to share your stories, using #TLevelsWeek.

Last week also saw T Level students and employers being recognised for the first time at the annual National Apprenticeships and Skills Awards, and we want to extend our congratulations to all the finalists and winners, who showcase the best of the opportunities a T Level can offer.

DfE confirmed this week an updated set of industry placement delivery approaches. These approaches are designed to reduce complexity and enable you to more easily deliver placements that are tailored to individual student and employer circumstances, while maintaining a high-quality experience.

These changes include:

  1. Allowing up to 20% of the placement to take place remotely (up to 50% for T Levels in the Digital Route)
  2. Allowing the placement to take place at Route level as well as pathway level
  3. Allowing small group projects and simulated activities in skills hub and training centres to take place on the provider site, where this activity is delivered and overseen by the industry placement employer.

You can find more information in the press notice and an article on the T Level support for schools and colleges website. These changes will apply from January 2025, alongside publication of updated guidance. The new approaches will be applicable to all T Level students (with the exception of Education and Early Years and Dental Nursing specialisms where there are specific requirements linked to licenses to practice).

Industry placements remain a key part of the T Level, enabling students to work with external employers and undertake real-life work.  Providers will continue to be responsible for ensuring that all T Level students have a high-quality placement experience that provides a substantive experience of the workplace and allows them to effectively apply the skills they have been learning. DfE will continue to set clear guidelines and best practice case studies of what a high-quality placement looks like, and updated guidance will be published in January 2025.

Association of Colleges – “Spill the T” at our upcoming T Level Drop-in Session:

Association of Colleges (AOC) are excited to invite you to our upcoming online Drop-in Session, offering personalised discussion and support. Our T Level Delivery Lead, Stephanie Crane, will be available to discuss all things T Level and T Level Foundation Year.

This event will:
  • Offer open discussions with no set agenda, whether you need guidance or have urgent questions about planning or delivering these programmes.
  • Allow flexible participation: Feel free to join us anytime during the scheduled session to get your questions answered.
  • Provide expert support: Stephanie Crane will be on hand to share best practices, offer support, and address any concerns you may have.
Who should attend?
This event is ideal for all staff involved in the planning or delivery of a T Level or T Level Foundation Year programme.
Event Details:
  • Date: Thursday 19 December
  • Time: 4-5pm
  • Platform: Online via Zoom
How to Register:
Please click here to register for the session.
 
T Level placements in maternity care:
Listen to this podcast from Great Western Hospital for insights into their experience with T Level placements in maternity care and enhancing education within the women and children’s division, as well as reflections from a past T Level student.
 
Snap ‘Appy AAN Competition – Please share with your Apprentices:

SNAP ‘APPY! – To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2025, the Apprentice Ambassador Network is organising a photography competition for all Ambassadors, Apprentices, Partners and friends of the network who are involved in Apprenticeships. The competition will launch on 2nd December 2024 and will close on 31st January 2025 to allow the Network to judge the photos and announce the winners in National Apprenticeship week. The winner will receive a small prize and a trophy to show their success.

With no specific themes, all we are asking is you take a photo of something that reminds you of your apprenticeship, this could be anything, any categories or styles, we’re hoping the contest will inspire and showcase the incredible creativity across our network… it might even put a smile on our faces. Submit your photo here: Photo Competition 
National Apprenticeship Week 2025 Resource Hub – NAW2025 – Amazing Apprenticeships
Amazing Apprenticeships have been working hard to build you a brilliant collection of resources for National Apprenticeship Week 2025.
The resources you can download now include:
  • Guides
  • Quizzes
  • Posters
  • Display materials
  • Games
  • Rapid Reads
  • And much more!
 
Student Career Readiness Report 2023/24:
Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly girls, have less confidence in their future, according to a survey of nearly a quarter of a million young people in England. The Careers & Enterprise Company conducted the largest study of its kind (over 238,000 students). It found that the most effective way to address the confidence gap is through quality careers education, including work experience.
 
National Care Certificate Day is on 5th December 2024:
The Care Certificate is used by Health and Care organisations all over the country and is an identified set of standards that Health and Care professionals adhere to in their daily working life. Designed with the unregistered workforce in mind, the Care Certificate gives everyone the confidence that Health and Care professionals have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high-quality care and support.
NHS Professionals have created a survey to hear from members who are currently completing, or who have graduated from the NHS Professionals Health Care Support Worker Development (HCSWD) training programme.
 
New Page on HASO! – Higher Technical Qualifications:
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are provider-based level 4/5 qualifications that sit between A- and T-Levels at level 3 and undergraduate degrees at level 6. HTQ is a quality mark against existing qualification types, such as Foundation Degrees, Higher Nationals, Certificates and Diplomas of HE, to show they have been approved as meeting employer developed occupational standards. The HTQ quality mark signals to learners and employers that the qualification provides the skills employers need. HTQs provide an alternative route into the health sector alongside apprenticeships and degrees. They align to the same occupational standards as apprenticeships, thus imparting the same knowledge, skills and behaviours as an apprenticeship but do so via an alternative route; a route that may suit certain learners.
Health and Science HTQs are now available in these professions:
  • Nursing Associate
  • Health Play Specialist
  • Assistant Practitioner
  • Hearing Aid Dispenser
  • Mammography Associate
  • Healthcare Science Associate
  • Sports Coach
Higher Technical Qualifications can be studied on a full or part-time basis and are suitable for both young people starting their career and for adults looking to upskill or retrain. Full-time HTQs generally take between 1 and 2 years to complete and HE student finance, including tuition fees and maintenance loans, is available for both full and part-time options.
Previous Updates:
Get Britain Working White Paper:
The Get Britain Working White Paper – GOV.UK has been published today and sets out a fundamentally different approach to the employment support system – backed by £240 million of investment – to target and tackle the root causes of unemployment and inactivity, and better join up health, skills and employment support based on the unique needs of local communities. You can find the Press Release here Biggest employment reforms in a generation unveiled to Get Britain Working again – GOV.UK
T Level Update:
Lunch & Learn: Industry placements in at risk AHPs
At the ‘Industry placements in at-risk AHPs’ last week they heard from Andrea Plimmer at Bury College, who was presenting key findings from a recent project in Greater Manchester exploring how industry placement models can be mapped to allied health professions. Andrea’s presentation included case studies, tips for employers and discussions on how entry requirements and job descriptions can be tailored to better support progression to employment, apprenticeships and degree routes to AHP professions. You can watch the webinar recording HERE.
Upcoming webinar: Insight into T Level student Destinations, 11th December 12:15 – 12:45
The next lunch & learn webinar, Sarah Herdan from Gatsby Charitable Foundation will be sharing insights from Gatsby’s ongoing research into the destinations of T Level students post-qualification. This will include an overview of data on the progression pathways of the first cohort of Health T Level students, who completed their courses between 2021-2023. You will also have the chance to hear from former Health T Level student, Maisie Peters, about how her T Level experience helped lead her to a Radiography degree. You can register for this webinar HERE.
Webinar Library
You can also view all previous webinars HERE.
T Levels Week: 2nd-6th December
Next week in T Level week when we’ll be celebrating all things T Levels. Each day of the week will be themed, with Wednesday showcasing the contributions of employers and the role of industry placements. You can the follow the #TLevelsWeek hashtag across your social media platforms,  and download the toolkit here: https://support.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/22015147021970–TLevelsWeek-is-2-6-December-2024 (see page 8 of the download for key employer info).
If you’re inspired to join the T Level Ambassador Network, you can find out more and sign up here: https://employers.tlevels.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/5163486794898-Becoming-a-T-Level-ambassador
 
Care Certificate eLearning scenario – now available:
A new Care Certificate eLearning scenario is now available for healthcare professionals working in cancer care. Developed by the NHS England TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) Team, (NHSE), the Workforce Team and the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, the session helps to improve the understanding of staff involved in caring for patients with cancer.
The Care Certificate is a set of standards developed for the health and care support workforce, to support their induction and development. The Care Certificate provides a framework to ensure that all support workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high-quality care, in their workplace settings.
This scenario is an opportunity for individuals to apply the principles outlined in the Care Certificate Standards in a cancer care setting. Participants will be presented with a series of questions throughout the scenario which they should answer based on the Care Certificate knowledge-based sessions To find out more about the Cancer Care scenario, or to access the full Care Certificate eLearning programme, please visit the programme page on the eLearning for healthcare hub. A Student Toolkit and an Assessor Toolkit are also available providing support on how to use the eLearning programme to achieve the Care Certificate.
 
NHS Employers – Inspire, Attract and Recruit Toolkit latest updates:
The Inspire, Attract and Recruit Toolkit has been updated with the latest guidance, top tips, and best practice on planning, preparing, implementing, and evaluating your recruitment activity.
The new and additional content includes:
  • details and links to our widening participation hub and T Levels hub
  • resources about volunteer recruitment
  • snippets from our 2024 workforce supply conference
  • information about our various recruitment-related networks.
All of this and more can be found in the latest version of the full toolkit. If you have any good practice recruitment examples you would like to share, please workforcesupply@nhsemployers.org
 
Call for evidence: Rural & Health Workforce toolkit
The National Centre is calling for evidence to create a toolkit for tackling workforce issues and health inequalities in rural and coastal areas. They are seeking insights, case studies and best practice examples, and welcome suggestions on how to address workforce issues in these areas – which could include how T Levels and industry placements have supported your talent pipeline and early-careers planning. You can find out more information here:  https://www.nhsemployers.org/news/call-evidence-rural-health-workforce-toolkit
Requests for industry placements in the NHS:
We currently have requests for industry placements from various schools and colleges in London, the placements are for the following routes Supporting Healthcare, Management & Admin and Accounting, Engineering, specifically Design and Development in Engineering and Manufacturing if anyone is able to offer placements or would like more information please contact me and @CHURCHILL, Claire (NHS ENGLAND – T1510)
 
Pharmacy Services Assistant revision – call for employers:
Having been approved in 2018, the Level 2 Pharmacy Services Assistant apprenticeship has proved to be a welcome training route for the sector. To ensure that the apprenticeship is fit for purpose and suitable for all types of employers across the sector, a review of the apprenticeship standard will commence in early 2025. A Trailblazer group will be formed to review and revise the occupational standard and the end-point assessment plan and contribute evidence to inform the allocation of the funding band.  The trailblazer group will comprise of employers, training providers, end-point assessment organisations and other key stakeholders. The group will meet virtually throughout the review which is expected to take approximately 6 months to complete.
If you are an employer that has used, or would like to use the Pharmacy Services Assistant apprenticeship, and you can commit to the requirements of being a member of a trailblazer group then we would like to hear from you.
To express your interest in becoming an employer member of the trailblazer group, please email Healthcare.Trailblazer@skillsforhealth.org.uk no later than 18th December 2024, providing the following information:
  • Name
  • Job Title
  • Name of Organisation
  • Your experience of the Pharmacy Services Assistant apprenticeship in your organisation
Further information on the role of a trailblazer group and requirements of group membership can be found here.The initial meeting of the trailblazer group is expected to take place in February 2025 and invitations will be distributed with 4 weeks’ notice.
Improvement Specialist: IfATE Retirement Consultation – Have your say!
The Level 5 Improvement Specialist apprenticeship standard was approved for delivery on 8th November 2018.Improvement Specialists are responsible for leading the deployment of improvement strategy, for training others and for providing broad and deep technical expertise in advanced and complex Lean and Six Sigma, Project and Change Management principles and tools to enable identification and delivery of improvement opportunities aligned to key business goals. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) are proposing to retire this apprenticeship for new starts due to low take-up and outcomes on the Level 5 Improvement specialist apprenticeship.
To submit feedback on this intention please email businessandadministration.ifate@education.gov.uk  by 09 December 2024. Please note that retirement of this standard has not yet been authorised.
Proposed Reforms to Funding of Level 7 Apprenticeships:
Skills England have stated their intention to review and potentially defund Level 7 Apprenticeships. In the NHS these have been used to great success to widen participation and support our workforce needs.
NHSE are lobbying in all available forums but would encourage all employers to state the case for the NHS and email your views to Level7.apprenticeships@education.gov.uk
Any data that shows how they increase diversity, and social mobility would be particularly useful too. There will be several consultations over the coming weeks and we will make sure to keep you all in the loop.
 
The Apprenticeship Guide Awards 2025:
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust have negotiated that it is FREE to enter for all Health & Social Care employers with the code NHS100. For more information and to enter click here – Home – Apprenticeship Awards 
Awards categories are:
Individual & Team Awards:
  • Apprentice of the Year
  • Mentor of the Year
  • Leadership in Apprenticeships Award
  • Excellence in Training Delivery
Sector Awards:
  • Best Apprenticeship in Engineering/Manufacturing
  • Best Apprenticeship in IT
  • Best Apprenticeship in Healthcare
  • Best Apprenticeship in Financial Services
  • Best Apprenticeship in Creative Industries
  • Best Apprenticeship in Hospitality and Tourism
  • Best Apprenticeship in Construction
  • Best Apprenticeship in Retail
  • Best Apprenticeship in Energy and Utilities
  • Best Apprenticeship in Automotive/ Transport
  • Best Apprenticeship in Education
  • Best Apprenticeship in Agriculture and Food Production
  • Best Apprenticeship in Professional Services
  • Best Apprenticeship Programme in Hair & Beauty
  • Best Apprenticeship Programme in Public Services
Organisation Awards:
  • Best Employer (small)
  • Best Employer (medium)
  • Best Employer (large)
  • Best Training Provider
  • Best College for Apprenticeships
  • Best University for Apprenticeships
If you encounter any issues with your submissions, then please contact Ian Cotton onian.cotton@barkerbrooks.co.uk 
 
NHSE London Joint WP and Apprenticeships Support Call (Hybrid meeting):

Claire and I are holding our yearly joint support call on Tuesday 17th December 11:30 – 13:30. This will be on MS Teams, but there is an in-person option available at 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU. Can you let us know in response to this invite if you would like to attend in person? Please also feel free to bring lunch with you or a mince pie! We look forward to meeting with you all then. If you have not received the invite, please let us know.

 
If you do not wish to receive this update email, please reply to this email and let me know.
 
Best wishes
Jennie
Jennifer Stone
Regional Apprenticeships Lead (London)
Anchor Programme Team
NHS England – London, Workforce, Training and Education Directorate (WT&E)
Email: Jennifer.stone19@nhs.net
10 South Colonnade | Canary Wharf | London | E14 4PU
My usual working pattern is Monday to Thursday (non working day is Friday)