The Office for Students (OfS) has allocated over £3.3million to develop healthcare degree apprenticeships, as a result of a successful joint bid led by Middlesex University and supported by University Alliance (UA).
The funding, worth £3,381,000, will allow a number of UA members to form the Healthcare Education Consortium. Collectively, they will coordinate the delivery of healthcare degree apprenticeships in order to meet the goals as set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
The funding will enable the consortium to boost the number of apprenticeship starts, and to pool resources to create a coordinated strategy for local, regional, and national apprenticeship provision, working closely in partnership with NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards to meet their needs.
The successful collaborative bid has been jointly awarded to the following UA members:
- Middlesex University
- Birmingham City University
- Oxford Brookes University
- University of Hertfordshire
- Kingston University
- University of Brighton
- University of Greenwich
The funding is part of a larger ‘third wave of investment’ to increase the number of Level 6 degree apprenticeships in England. The funding supports subjects that may be more expensive for providers to deliver, and any subjects the government wishes to prioritise.
Separately from the consortium, UA members Anglia Ruskin University, Coventry University and UWE Bristol have also been successful in this funding round, which will enable them to develop a range of degree apprenticeships in subjects such as civil engineering, supply chain leadership, and podiatry.
University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “Professional and technical universities are leading providers of degree apprenticeships, and this funding allocation is a ringing endorsement of our members’ expertise and leadership in this space.
“As well as boosting apprenticeship starts, and working closely in partnership with the NHS, the funding also allows us to launch an outreach campaign to raise awareness about degree apprenticeship opportunities in the NHS. In doing so, it is hoped they will attract a diverse pool of candidates, including those who might not have otherwise studied at university.
“As UA, we are committed to social mobility and creating social capital for individuals as well as delivering the country’s future healthcare workforce. The new Healthcare Education Consortium, which will form as a result of this funding award, will bolster both of these nationally critical missions.”
