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Apprenticeships Process

This process has been created for Primary Care employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria. It will help with: 

  • Finding out more about apprenticeships
  • Choosing and applying for an apprenticeship
  • Understanding responsibilities when supporting an apprentice.

Apprenticeships are employer-led programmes. The contractual relationship is between the Employer and the Education Provider. The Training Hub provide support to Primary Care employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Below you will find; a step-by-step application guide, and an outline of key responsibilities when an apprentice is on programme. If you require additional information or assistance, please refer to the Queries section found near the end of this page.

Application

Employer

Choose your preferred course and education provider using the course overviews on the Training Hub’s Apprenticeships Comparison Tool (ACT).  On the ACT you will find;

  • Course details, such as entry requirements, teaching structure, intakes and application timeframes. 
  • Relevant NHSE training grants and other additional funding options, if applicable.
  • A link to the relevant Apprenticeship Standard. Each Apprenticeship Standard lists the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours that need to be achieved during that apprenticeship via a mix of theory and practical learning. Please review these to help you identify which apprenticeship best meets your requirements. 

Please make use of the comparison functionality. If you are not familiar with this, there are instructions in the bottom left of the ACT landing page.

If you are interested in a provider that is not currently on the ACT, please let us know so we can advise of next steps as we can still assist you.

Focus on programme suitability for Primary Care. If there are aspects that can be improved, please feedback to both the Education Provider and Training Hub.

Employer

Complete the Training Hub’s Expression of Interest Form (EOI) as soon as possible. Within the form, you will confirm key details including your preferred course, education provider and intake. 

Training Hub

The Training Hub Apprenticeships Team will review your EOI and contact you if further information is needed. We will then start your application, which includes:

  • Email Employer to confirm application has been started and provide useful instructions. Candidate will be copied in, and if relevant so will the locality General Practice Education Facilitator (GPEF).
  • Email Education Provider to notify them of a new application. Education Provider will then be in touch directly with Employer to provide Education Provider’s instructions.

We need to monitor progress of applications in order to effectively assist. Please do keep us informed of your progress and any changes.

All

ACT course information and / or email instructions sent to the Employer, will indicate if the following place of work checks are required for your application.

ULE Audit and Supervision Checks: Mandatory requirement for Primary Care applications for Nursing Associate, Nursing, Community Nursing Specialist Practitioner and Advanced Clinical Practitioner courses.

  1. Locality GPEF must support Employer with completing / reviewing Unified Learning Environment (ULE) audit and supervision checks.
  2. GPEF will keep Training Hub Apprenticeships Team aware of progress.
  3. Once approved, GPEF submits ULE audit to Education Provider.

NMC Approval: Mandatory requirement between the Employer, Education Provider and NMC, for Nursing Associate, Nursing and Community Nursing Specialist Practitioner courses. NMC approval is per course per provider. 

  1. Education Provider will send Employer relevant NMC paperwork. The Education Provider should confirm deadlines and assist Employer with this paperwork as soon as possible. 
  2. Employer completes paperwork and returns to Education Provider.
  3. Education Provider reviews, and then either submits paperwork to NMC for their approval or approves and updates NMC records. The Education Provider will be in touch if they require further information.
  4. Once NMC approved, Education Provider will confirm this to Employer. Please ensure the Training Hub Apprenticeships Team are aware.

If  the place of work (Employer) needs to be registered as an NMC approved partner but approval is not granted in time, or approved ULE audit process is not completed in time, your application will have to be delayed to the next available intake, or an alternative Education Provider may be offered if deadlines allow this.

Employer

Employing organisations must have a Government Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account AND add their apprentice and course details on to this, in order to complete various mandatory steps, such as; 

  • Registering apprentice with the Government during application stage.
  • Managing tuition fee funds (such as levy / levy transfers / co-investment reservations) during application stage.
  • Reporting to the Government when apprentice is both on programme and after completion.
  • If recruiting externally to an apprenticeship vacancy, you can also use this account to advertise on the Government’s widely referred to apprenticeship vacancy platforms.

Guides to help you create and update employer DAS account:

Employer

Instructions for Employers who have an annual pay bill of LESS than £3million

The tuition fee is the Education Provider’s apprenticeship course cost. Level 2 – Level 6 Apprenticeship tuition fees (and Level 7 until 2026) are paid using levy or government funds via the Employer’s DAS account.

The below instructions relate to tuition fee funds only, which must be in place, and showing correctly on the Employer’s DAS account and Education Provider’s DAS account, prior to the apprenticeship course start date. 

Non-Levy paying Employers are smaller employers who do not pay money into their own Government levy pot to accumulate their own apprenticeship levy. Instead, Non-levy payers have the following options:

Option 1: The tuition fee will be 100% financed by the Government if:

  • Candidate is aged 16 – 21 when the course starts (or 15 if their 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August)
  • or candidate is aged between 22 – 24 years old when the course starts and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by local authority and / or has been in the care of their local authority.

The Education Provider will advise Employer of any steps needed relating to this throughout the application process. The Employer will still need to create / update their employer DAS account, if not done so already.

Update: The Government have announced that this option will be available for all candidates aged under 25, but it is to be confirmed when this will be effective from, possibly late 2026.

Option 2: Apply for a 100% Levy Transfer.

Employer can apply for levy from another organisation, to cover 100% of the tuition fee, via Employer’s DAS account. Watch this DfE video for instructions. Employer will need to monitor progress via Employer’s DAS account. If a transfer is secured, please notify ourselves and Education Provider.

Alternatively, Employer may still apply for a levy transfer through the NHSE North West Levy Team. To start this process, Employer must email [email protected] requesting further instructions. Please note this option typically takes longer and has a lengthier process.

Option 3: Reserve a 95% Co-investment.

This is sometimes called a funding reservation / contribution and is when the Government pay 95% of the tuition fee, with Employer paying the remaining 5% (Employer contribution is only increasing to 25% from April 2026 for Levy paying employers). Employer will need to reserve the Co-investment via their DAS account. Visit Co-investment GOV.UK or ask Education Provider for instructions.

Employer must read, agree & keep up-to-date with DfE Apprenticeship Funding Rules
Instructions for Employers who have an annual pay bill of MORE than £3million

The tuition fee is the Education Provider’s apprenticeship course cost. Level 2 – Level 6 Apprenticeship tuition fees (and Level 7 until 2026) are paid using levy or government funds via the Employer’s DAS account. 

The below instructions relate to tuition fee funds only, which must be  in place, and showing correctly on the Employer’s DAS account and Education Provider’s DAS account, prior to the apprenticeship course start date. 

Levy-paying Employers (large employers) pay 0.5% of their annual pay bill into their levy pot, generating funds for apprenticeship tuition fees. 

Option 1 – If Employer has sufficient levy of their own:

Where possible, Employers should use their own levy funds to pay apprenticeship tuition fee, to help reduce the amount of levy their organisation might expire. This DfE video explains how to view your levy balance, expiry, and transactions (the projection calculator mentioned has since been removed).

When applying for an apprenticeship, the Employer will be instructed by Education Provider on how to manage and assign levy funds using Employer’s DAS account. This will include steps such as:

  • Adding apprentice details.
  • Assigning (attaching) levy to apprentice details.
  • Authorising payments to the Education Provider. 

This needs to be actioned correctly in order for the levy to be paid automatically to the Education Provider on a monthly basis. 

If you have additional levy due to expire, please consider notifying our team as we can help you transfer up to 50% of your annual levy to another local primary care organisation.

Option 2 – If Employer DOES NOT have sufficient levy of their own:
 
Employer can either apply for a levy transfer or a co-investment. 

2.A. Apply for a Levy Transfer: Employer can apply for levy from another organisation to cover 100% of the tuition fee. Watch this DfE video for instructions on how to do this via your DAS account.

  • Employer will need to manage their request via their DAS account.
  • If a transfer is secured, please notify ourselves and Education Provider.

Alternatively, Employer may still apply for a levy transfer through the NHSE North West Levy Team. To start this process, Employer must email [email protected] requesting further instructions. Please note this option typically takes longer and has a lengthier process.

2.B. Reserve a Co-investment: This is sometimes called a funding reservation / contribution. Employer will need to reserve the Government Co-investment via their DAS account. Visit Co-investment GOV.UK or ask Education Provider for instructions.

  • Up to 31 March 2026 – Government pays 95%, Employer pays 5%.
  • From 01 April 2026 – Government pays 75%, Employer pays 25%.

The above rate change will apply to all co-investment arrangements (including those in place for apprentices already on programme).

Employer must read, agree & keep up-to-date with DfE Apprenticeship Funding Rules

The following guidance relates to intakes from 2026 only. 

The Government have announced that for any Level 7 apprenticeship intakes starting 1st January 2026 onwards, employers can not use Levy or Government Co-investment to pay for the tuition fee.  Employers will therefore need to finance 100% of the tuition fee. The only exceptions will be if the apprentice is aged 16 to 21, or Under 25 and either a care leaver or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) at the start of their apprenticeship.

NHSE Financial Support for the following Level 7 Apprenticeship Tuition Fees:

Fortunately, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have secured funding for apprenticeship tuition fees for 2026 to 2028-29 intakes for the following Level 7 apprenticeships (find out more here):   
  1. Advanced Clinical Practitioner
  2. Specialist Community Public Health Nurse
  3. Community Specialist Practitioner – District Nurse (update: other pathways will be considered such as General Practice Nursing)
  4. Clinical Associate in Psychology (CAP)
  5. Health & Care Intelligence Specialists (PHIS)
Employers will have to apply for this; please find the relevant application instructions below. 
 
  • For Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship September 2026 – March 2027 intakes: NHSE Faculty for Advancing Practice across the North West expression of interest process for educational training funding for MSc Advanced Clinical Practice routes, is now open. The deadline to apply is  Friday 27 February 2026. Please find out more here and apply for the funding here. The expression of interest is for both the training grant and the tuition fee funding.
  • For Community Specialist Practitioner GPN Apprenticeship September 2026 intakes: Please complete the NHSE mitigation funding expression of interest form before the closing deadline of 19 November 2025. Please note, NHSE have advised that they do have plans to also offer the CSP Training Grant for 2026 intakes, but no further details have been provided at this time.
 
To begin applying for a place on the programme itself, please also contact the training hub apprenticeships team on [email protected] 
Employer must read, agree & keep up-to-date with DfE Apprenticeship Funding Rules

Education Provider

The Education Provider is to organise:

  • Onboarding meeting with Employer – to discuss programme in detail, how Education Provider supports  Employer and Apprentice, how Employer is to support Apprentice and any individual arrangements / needs (such as differences to timetable / duration for part-time employees). **Employer, if you are applying for a clinical programme, please ensure your local GPEF is invited to this meeting also**
  • Candidate Interview – Employer is required at this also
  • Sending Employer relevant Education Provider documents – such as NMC paperwork where relevant. The Education Provider will support Employer with any queries. 

Depending on the course applying for, there may be certain requirements that are the Employer’s responsibility, such as Enhanced DBS and Occupational Health checks. The Education Provider should advise you of these. 

Employer

Many apprenticeship education providers are approved for NHS Health and Care use via the NHS Salisbury Managed Procurement Services (SMPS). You can check if an Education Provider is approved and further information on SMPS’s NHS Futures page.  If you have difficulty registering for access to this page email SMPS on [email protected]. Alternatively, refer to the most recent SMPS Guide (Jan26) and provider list (250226).

If the Education Provider is approved via SMPS: it is highly advised that you request for the apprenticeship contract agreement (between the Education Provider and Employer) to be created via SMPS, to ensure that you have a contract that contains all the requirements and reassurances the Education Provider agreed to under the procurement. In order to do this;

  1. Employer is to complete SMPS’s latest Contract URN form and submit this to SMPS at [email protected] . Please liaise with the Education Provider for the best time for you to submit the URN, as contract requests are time sensitive and will only be accepted if your application is at a suitable point. Guidance on completing the URN form and the process in found within the SMPS Guide above.
  2. Salisbury Procurement team will review the URN and send Employer acknowledgement that the process has started and guidance on next steps.
  3. Salisbury Procurement team will send the electronic contract to both the Education Provider and Employer for signatures.

If an Education Provider is not approved via SMPS: Primary Care Employers should still be able to apply for the course (check with Training Hub Apprenticeships Team and any eligibility requirements for any applicable funding such as ARRS or Training Grants).

If you have any questions, or want to know more about the benefits of an SMPS contract, please liaise with SMPS directly.

Employer

Order apprentice uniform, following the requirements provided within the Apprentice Uniform Guide.

Student uniforms are required to help patients, service users and other staff identify trainees, particularly during external placements. 

The Training Hub do not finance or submit uniform requests. Uniform orders have to be completed by the Employer. 

Employer

  1. For the Tuition fee, accept Levy Transfer OR reserve co-investment (if applicable) – NHSE NW Levy Team can assist any queries you have.
  2. Submit any final application documents to Education Provider – check-in with the Education Provider regularly to ensure you have returned all relevant documents in a timely manner. This is important as different education providers have different deadlines throughout their application process.
  3. Sign Salisbury Procurement Contract electronically (if applicable)
  4. Check you have completed all steps outlined within this process
  5. Finalise your internal preparations for your apprentice starting on programme – please do check the below sections to see what support is available to you when your learner is on programme.

Education Provider

Education Provider will send the successful candidate and Employer all final instructions relating to enrolment.

The Training Hub Apprenticeships Team will check with the Education Provider that the apprentice has commenced on programme.

On Programme

All

  • All parties commit to regularly update each other of any significant changes to the apprenticeship, such as potential break in learning, in order to work collaboratively to create appropriate solutions and for the purposes of accurate reporting.  

Employer

  • Attend Progress Review meetings (between Employer, Education Provider and Apprentice). These must take place minimum every 3 months and are organised by the Education Provider. Ensure these include agreeing clear plans to support apprentice in achieving current requirements, plus discuss future modules and requirements. Usually it is the apprentice’s Supervisor or line manager who should attend these as the Employer representation (rather than a Clinical Lead, PCN Lead or GP Partner for example).
  • Ensure learner has the opportunities during working hours to complete all requirements for the programme.
  • Arrange placements (where relevant). Liaise with your GPEF for more information.
  • Approach Education Provider throughout for advice regarding programme and learner progress.
  • Complete Training Hub’s apprenticeship feedback forms. One will be sent to you half-way through the programme and another when your learner has completed the programme. You can also provide feedback to the Training Hub at any time via the Training Hub’s feedback form.
  • Action requests sent to you directly regarding any training grants. Contact the relevant training grant team directly with any queries.
  • Keep up-to-date with the relevant DfE Apprenticeship Funding Rules.

Apprentice

  • Education Provider will confirm the apprentice’s full responsibilities.
  • Check the Training Hub’s event calendar and profession page, for any training / resources that can help towards apprenticeship practical learning time. Always check suitability first with your course tutor and work place supervisor.
  • Keep ‘apprenticeship hours’ log up-to-date at all times. Set time aside once a day or every week. 
  • Talk to manager or Supervisor, and Education Provider, about any queries or concerns.

Education Provider

  • Organise regular Progress Review Meetings. These are mandatory and must take place minimum every 3 months. They must include Employer representative, Apprentice and Education Provider.
  • Raise concerns regarding programme progress with Employer and Training Hub Apprenticeships Team.
  • Provide Learner ‘Progress Updates’ to Training Hub Apprenticeships Team for reporting purposes. This is in addition to learner updates Education Providers provide to Employers.

Training Hub

  • Tri-annually request ‘Progress Updates’ regarding L&SC Primary Care apprentices from the Education Providers. This is to monitor progress and expected completion dates, and ensure Training Hub records are accurate for reporting purposes. 
  • Support with main placements via Locality Teams (for relevant programmes). Additional support is available via GPEFs, PCCAs, ACP lead, Locality Teams, Forums and groups etc.
  • Monitor and report on apprenticeship activity within L&SC to appropriate parties for quality improvement purposes, including following Training Hub Raising Concerns Process if necessary.
  • Represent and advocate for apprenticeships in Primary Care at a strategic level for various purposes (such as training grant and levy sharing opportunities, and ICB priorities).
  • Advise Employers on progression pathways.

Queries and Contacts

Course queries

  • At enquiry or application stage, first use the ACT. If further information is needed contact the Education Provider directly (contact details are on the relevant ACT course page).
  • When apprentice is on programme, contact the Education Provider directly.

Tuition Fee queries

  • The Tuition fee (programme cost) is detailed on the ACT course page.
  • Guidance on how to apply for tuition financial support is in the above Application section (Step 6).
  • If you have already contacted the NHSE NW Levy Team regarding a 100% levy transfer, refer to any instructions the Levy Team have sent you. If further advice is needed contact the Levy Team directly [email protected].
  • If Employer has been sent an invoice regarding the tuition fee, notify the Training Hub Apprenticeships Team on [email protected] and we can check this for you. 

Training Grant queries

Contact the relevant team directly: 

    • NHSE ACP Training Grant = NHSE North West Faculty for Advancing Practice [email protected]
    • NHSE Nursing Associate Training Grant = NHSE Nursing Associate Team [email protected] 
    • NHSE Nursing / Community Nursing Specialist Practitioner Training Grants = NHSE North West Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health Team [email protected]

Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS) account queries

  • Guidance on how to set-up and update your DAS account is in the above Application section (Steps 5 and 6).

  • Further support is available from the Gov DAS Team via the following options:

    • Visit the Gov DAS knowledge hub to find out more
    • Search for help within your DAS account at any time
    • Call 08000 150 600 or email [email protected] The Gov Team opening times are 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday. During opening times, will reply to emails within 4 hours.

Placement, Audit (ULE) and Supervisor Training queries

Contact your Locality General Practice Education Facilitator (GPEF):

NMC Paperwork queries

  • Contact the Education Provider directly. If Education Provider has already contacted you about this stage, liaise with that contact. If not, you can find Education Provider contact details on the relevant ACT course page.

Procurement Contract queries

For SMPS contracts, liaise with SMPS directly on [email protected] 

For anything else, please contact the Training Hub Apprenticeships Team on [email protected]

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