Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the merits of providing apprenticeships programmes that are more affordable to the NHS and the opportunities this might offer local economies.

Nursing apprenticeships offer a high-quality work-based route, in addition to the established higher education route, into the profession. There is now a complete apprentice pathway from entry-level through to postgraduate-level. We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care and Health Education England to try to maximise the potential of this route to deliver trained nurses and nursing associates to the NHS.

Apprenticeships are able to help meet the long-term skills needs of a changing NHS and to widen access to the professions. There are currently 65 standards available for delivery from levels 2 to 7 in the health and science route. There are over 550 standards available overall, many of which can be used in the healthcare sector.

We are committed to minimising disruption to nurses’ training while supporting the NHS to deal with the challenges of COVID-19. Nursing apprentices who have completed their programme and passed through the apprenticeship gateway will be regarded to have met the end-point assessment requirements and achieved their apprenticeship.

We work closely with Health Education England, who have established a dedicated team of relationship managers to provide bespoke support to trusts. We continue to engage regularly with NHS stakeholders, including Health Education England and NHS Employers, to make sure that the NHS is fully supported to recruit the apprentices that it needs to deliver high-quality care in all areas, including emergency services, nursing, and care. I was pleased to speak recently to apprentices at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who shared with me their inspiring stories of how apprenticeships have allowed the Yorkshire Ambulance Service to do its vital work in supporting the NHS.