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The purpose of this paper is to show how and why government discoursal constraints have obstructed the development of viable degree apprenticeships for regulated healthcare professionals working in England and suggests some ways these constraints can now be managed and overcome.

The study uses an analysis of published literature, reviews of government and health professional body policies and regulations and semi-structured interviews recorded with those leading on the development of degree apprenticeships in healthcare-regulated professions.

Once created, a bureaucracy tends to look for ways to control discourse, to sustain itself and to extend its reach. In doing so, fault lines may be exposed which undermine the position of that bureaucracy, but it will continue to control discourses to maintain power over those it requires to act. There is no pedagogical need for End Point Assessment (EPA) to measure the competence of regulated healthcare professionals. The paper produces evidence to show how meeting health professional registration requirements is a sufficient metric for measuring successful degree apprenticeship outcomes.

This paper examined current practices relating to the registered nurse and nursing associate degree apprenticeships only. The validity of EPA for measuring occupational competence should be further investigated.

The NHS and other public service organisations should use these findings to re-examine and challenge the requirements for EPA in degree apprenticeships for all regulated professions.

Understanding how “centering” bureaucracies control discourse in their interests can help those in their orbit find ways to challenge and alter the course of policy.

Apprenticeships in England, while defined by level and typical duration, are not quantified regarding the number of learning hours required to achieve the outcomes specified, as with other regulated qualifications and accredited programmes. This paper proposes an approach to ascribe credit to apprenticeships recognising both on-and-off-the-job learning to remove some of the existing barriers to accessing higher education (HE) and the professions.

A mixed methodological approach resulting in a total learning hours/credit value was proposed.

There is significant HE-wide confusion regarding the amount of learning/training that is required to complete apprenticeships in England. Whilst sector guidance made it clear that there was no prescribed method to ascribe credit to qualifications, programmes, modules, units or apprenticeships by drawing out the core principles within current practice, a key outcome of this project was the development of a method to ascribe a credit value to apprenticeships.

There is potential to support further research into the recognition of prior learning as a specialised pedagogy and for reflecting on apprenticeship practice in other roles and sectors.

Whilst the project underpinning this paper focused on the healthcare sector, the method used to ascribe credit to the level-3 healthcare support worker apprenticeship was not sector specific and can therefore be applied to apprenticeships within other contexts providing more widespread benefits to workforce development.

Policy makers must ensure that employers and providers are clear that the minimum statutory off-the-job hours constitute an apprentice employment entitlement, which must not be conflated with total apprenticeship learning hours requirements. This recommended policy clarification could assist in simplifying the process required for ascribing credit to apprenticeships and at the same time support a move towards better and more consistent recognition of the value of apprenticeship learning.

It is a first attempt to ascribe a credit value to an apprenticeship in England for the specific purpose of facilitating progression to HE.

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on evidence relating to the development and delivery of apprenticeships and its potential implications for pre-registration healthcare education.

An iterative review of English language literature published after 1995 to date relating to apprentices and apprenticeships was undertaken. In total, 20 studies were identified for inclusion. Only three related to the most recent apprenticeship initiative in the UK, and the majority were UK based.

Three key themes were identified: entering an apprenticeship, the learning environment and perceptions of apprenticeships. Successful completion of an apprenticeship relies heavily on both understanding the role the apprentice is seeking to inhabit, as well as well-structured and comprehensive support whilst on the programme. These findings are then discussed with reference to professional body requirements and pre-registration education in healthcare.

Appropriate work experience and support for learning are critical to apprenticeship success and apprenticeships should be given equal status to traditional healthcare education routes.

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 (Finance Act, 2016), acknowledgement that all National Health Service Trusts will be levy payers and the introduction of targets relating to apprenticeships for public sector employers have all contributed to growing interest in the apprenticeship agenda in health and social care.

This paper reflects on changes to end-point assessment (EPA) brought about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and considers how proposed future change will impact on training providers and employers of health apprentices.

The paper provides an analysis of apprenticeship policy, the role of EPA and consideration of assessment strategies used in higher education and health professions. Implications for policy, training providers and clinical practice are proposed.

These changes will bring the completion of EPA closer to education providers and allow them to take a more direct role within the process. Education providers will need to be issued with clear guidance to ensure regulatory compliance. The pedagogical value of EPA is questioned.

Training providers and policymakers will need to review their processes and guidance appropriately. This paper provides a summary of salient points needing consideration.

The purpose of this article is to explore how one higher education institution (HEI) has embraced the apprenticeship agenda and is successfully providing an apprenticeship programme for nursing associates (NA) a new profession within health and social care in the United Kingdom.

This is a descriptive case study narrative about one programme from one HEI, selected for its relevance for the subject area of apprenticeships. This descriptive approach allows the provision of apprenticeships within HEI to be explored in depth by one institution.

This case study identifies the considerable value of apprenticeships within HEI for the students, the employers and the HEI. It also identifies that there are challenges within this. These findings will be of interest to those entering into the apprenticeship arena, especially within healthcare, and may inform an academic discourse in this area.

It is acknowledged that this case study does not seek to compare apprenticeships with other programmes. However, there is value in providing an academic narrative around the challenges of this provision which will be informative for others developing higher apprenticeships in the United Kingdom or similar delivery of apprenticeship models internationally.

There is value in providing an academic narrative around the challenges of this provision which will be informative for others developing higher apprenticeships in the UK or similar delivery of apprenticeship models internationally

These findings will be of interest to those entering into the apprenticeship arena, especially within healthcare, and will inform the academic discourse in this area.

This is original work and provides a new body of knowledge to the inform HEIs engaging with the relatively new context of higher and degree apprenticeships, as well as the new role within healthcare of the nursing associate.

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, this paper documents an analysis of mentorship models within the profession of nursing from the 1940s onward. From this analysis, the author was able to categorize the evolution of mentorship models within nursing. Second, this paper identifies four specific contemporary challenges within nursing which relate directly to mentorship. Last, this paper attempts to place a nursing student peer mentorship model in context to best understand how it can benefit the profession of nursing and help address the four identified contemporary challenges within nursing.

The theoretical, philosophical, and research roots that have shaped and informed mentorship models in nursing are examined. The strengths and limitations of nursing mentorship models are analyzed in relation to contemporary challenges in nursing education and practice with a focus on undergraduate peer mentorship. This was achieved through a comprehensive literature review that examined mentorship in nursing from approximately 1940 to the present.

Since Nightingale’s time, five specific mentoring models have been created and adapted within the nursing profession. The five mentorship models identified within this paper are most prevalent within current and previous nursing mentorship literature and demonstrate how models within nursing have evolved from those positing a relatively paternalistic relationship to those favoring more collaborative and reciprocal relations between mentor and mentee. Further, it is argued in this paper that a nursing student peer mentorship model can assist in addressing four challenges which currently face the profession of nursing. These four challenges (which are prevalent in nursing literature) are mentoring as a professional responsibility, projected nursing shortages, communication in nursing, and the development of critical thinking skills.

A limitation of this paper includes the fact that, despite the many challenges facing the profession of nursing today, this paper focuses on only four identified challenges. As it is impossible for one paper to address all of the contemporary challenges which face nursing today, as articulated below, this paper addresses four identified challenges because they relate to mentorship, nursing education, and nursing practice.

Providing opportunities for nursing students to participate in a peer mentoring relationship assists future nurses and the profession as a whole by generating tangible benefits. These benefits include an exposure to theories and models of mentorship and skills to help them fulfill their future professional responsibility of mentoring, development of relationships and skills that can increase both nurse and student retention, and improved communication and critical thinking skills. Last, this study can help nursing schools to identify and work with theories and models of mentorship that will improve their ability to stimulate critical thinking among their students.

This paper fills a gap in the literature by providing an analysis of the theoretical, philosophical, and research roots that have shaped and informed mentorship models in nursing from the 1940s onward. This analysis suggests that student peer mentorship may be the most effective model to address these four challenges in nursing: mentoring as a professional responsibility, projected nursing shortages, communication in nursing, and the development of critical thinking skills. This paper has the potential to make a timely contribution to the global debate regarding mentoring across the healthcare professions.

This paper aims to critically compare the impact and preparedness for practice of two types of mental health nurse training in the UK. One being a hospital-based apprenticeship model from the 1980s; the other a university-based and more academically focussed approach from this millennium.

This autoethnographic reflective commentary describes and reviews the effectiveness of two training curricula for Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) training. The first being the certificate-level 1983 syllabus of the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, which was replaced in the late 1990s by diploma and degree-level Project 2000 training of the General Nursing Council. Using a reflective narrative approach to describe the lived experience of two qualified nurses, it compares, reviews and critiques both initiatives.

The author/researchers found both benefits and negatives inherent in each model. These were grouped into five key headings, which are a sense of belonging/identity; exposure to clinical practice; differences in training modality; development of clinical management skills and clinical preparedness; and academic merit. The older curriculum lacked an academic or research base, whereas the more recent approach encouraged and enhanced this element. However, with regard to preparing the clinician/registered nurse to feel confident in addressing a range of clinical and managerial challenges, the older style training seems to deliver better outcomes. They conclude that a move towards a “middle ground” between the two models may be of benefit to future RMN preparation.

This study reports on the experience of two registered nurses. Therefore, the sample size is small. However, autoethnography is acknowledged as an effective means of delivering qualitative research; in addition, the authors access and use material from the wider literature to triangulate and critique their approach. This paper adds to the literature but also allows for duplication by others to further test the findings.

This type of study provides an opportunity for others to review, compare and contrast nursing or other multi-discipline changes in training/curriculum. The research method is one that is transferable and can be used within areas of practice, which have resource limitations. It provides an opportunity to replicate it in other services or jurisdictions.

Nursing in the UK has experienced significant change over the past four decades. For RMNs, the move from hospitals into the community has been transformational. In addition, the influence of higher academic standards and the influence of the recent pandemic have challenged the profession and individuals within it. This study demonstrates positive and negative elements of the dilemma faced by nurses and offers a further contribution to this area.

There are a number of academic papers, media stories, statutory reports and guidance that explore the impact of changes within nurse training. This paper uses a first person autoethnographic study of the impact and effectiveness of these changes at a human level, the nurse on the ground. It uses the ward medicine keys as the vehicle to represent the huge responsibility that newly qualified nurses must face; this is not widely represented elsewhere in the literature!

The purpose of this paper is to report on a study funded by the Edge Foundation, an independent educational charity, to investigate what is needed in order for English higher education to operate degree apprenticeships (DAs) on a sustainable basis.

The study, conducted in 2019–2020, took the form of a literature review, semi-structured interviews with employers, institutional staff members and apprentices in three fields, and an open online survey.

This study illustrates a high level of support for DAs amongst those who are involved in them, whether as educators, employers or apprentices. Degree Apprenticeships aid public-sector recruitment, support progression routes and social mobility within the existing workforce, and contribute to recruitment and productivity in public services and economically critical industries. Practices in the organisation and delivery of apprenticeships are variable, but a clear need is illustrated for strong institution–employer partnerships, integration between on- and off-the-job learning, expansive workplace learning environments, and co-ordination of assessment and quality assurance. There is also a need for external bodies to provide a consistent policy and funding environment.

The findings illustrate the need for strong partnerships, for programmes that are designed from the ground up as apprenticeships, and for effective integration of apprentices into the organisation's working environment.

This study updates and adds to the literature on DAs and work-integrated higher education. It emphasises three aspects that have hitherto been given little attention: the value of DAs for public-sector recruitment and for creating social mobility within the existing workforce, and the importance of ensuring apprenticeships are aligned with organisational objectives.