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Operations Manager (Level 5) and NHS Leadership Academy Mary Seacole Award

An operations manager is someone who manages teams and/or projects, and achieving operational goals and objectives, as part of the delivery of the organisations strategy.

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Apprenticeship

Operations Manager
Education Provider

Lighthouse Group
Location

Online
Duration
20 months (15 plus up to 5 for End Point Assessment)
Most Suitable For
New recruits and current staff in non-clinical or clinical management roles who wish to develop their managerial knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Award
Level 5 Operations Manager Apprenticeship award with optional NHS Leadership Academy Mary Seacole award. There is also the option for CMI Level 5 in Leadership and Management - additional fees will apply.
Programme Cost

£9,000.

Tuition fee financial support options and instructions on how to apply for these are detailed in our Apprenticeships Process Employer Guide.

There are no additional cost for the optional NHS Leadership Academy Mary Seacole award.

Additional Funding
  • If apprentice is under the age of 25, Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance. Full details and criteria are found here. 
  • For apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2024 - 31 July 2026, employer may be eligible for £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16 - 18 years old (or 15 years of age if the apprentice’s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August); or aged between 19 and 24 years old and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority and / or has been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Full details and criteria are found within the relevant DfE Funding Rules.
  • Some Councils are providing incentive payments to local small employers who recruit and employ young apprentices. To find out more, including eligibility and how to apply for an incentive, please visit Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub (details within the GRANT presentation)
    • Lancashire County Council incentive is £3,000 for 100 Lancashire employers
    • Chorley Council incentive is £1,500 for Chorley employers
    • Fylde Borough Council incentive is £5,000 for Fylde employers recruiting a new apprentice who is a Fylde resident.
Start Date
Intakes are usually every month
Teaching Delivery
Online
Key Learning Requirements

Apprenticeships require learners to achieve specific new knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. These are achieved by;
1) Programme Teaching; Online teaching sessions once every 4 weeks, plus 1-1 tutorial sessions (every 4 – 6 weeks) with online resources. If selecting the NHS Leadership Academy Mary Seacole award option, this will include additional 3 online workshops and online activities/tasks.
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up.
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, day-to-day development within your current role duties/work activities, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.

Modules
This programme has fixed module delivery (you are unable to choose the modules studied). A list of modules is available on the course webpage or course materials.
Placements
This programme does not require external placements to be completed, although varied experiences are beneficial.
Assessments
Assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations, evaluations and End Point Assessment.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
  • Maths and English: Apprenticeships may still require the candidate to have certain Maths and English qualifications at either application stage or to be completed early on alongside the apprenticeship. This could be due to profession regularity body requirements, the candidate's age, or because the Employer stipulates it is necessary for that position. The Education Provider will advise you on your options per application. The following may also be useful:
  • Maths and English is not a requirement for this programme, unless it is a government requirement as outlined above (due to the candidate’s age).
  • Employed minimum 30 hours per week in a suitable role for the duration of the apprenticeship. Apprenticeship duration may be extended to support staff who work less than this (will be looked at on individual basis).
  • Full requirements and details are to be found on the course webpage/information.
Key Employer Entry Requirements
  • Ensure Learner has the support and opportunities to achieve the requirements of the apprenticeship.
  • An experienced manager to mentor the apprentice.
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes
Application Timescale
  • It takes on average 2 months to complete all application stages for this programme. If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.

Education Provider deadlines include:

  • Candidate (future apprentices) is to attend one of Lighthouse’s Information and Guidance Sessions, before Employer starts the application process. These usually take place every month, find out more and book here.
  • Line Manager specific webinar are also offered for the employer. 30-minute session focused on understanding line manager role in supporting an apprentice and how they can best support them throughout the programme. Please see the following flyer for further details and how to book Lighthouse Line Manager Webinars Jan – July 2026
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
  • All resources provided by the Training Hub such as Digital training, Health and Wellbeing support and events.
  • Plus, Training Hub Non-clinical Training and Resources: This webpage lists training and resources for non-clinical roles, which may compliment the apprenticeship (always check suitability with your apprenticeship education provider).
Pathway

On successful completion of this apprenticeship, examples of further apprenticeship options include; Project Manager, Chartered Manager, Improvement Leader. This interactive occupational maps tool which shows the variety of progression pathways using apprenticeships.

Career progression does not have to be linear. Entry criteria may differ per provider and even more varied routes may be available depending on the individuals prior learning and experience.
Information Last Updated
17/12/2025

Further Programme and Provider Information

• Apprenticeship Standard
• Programme webpage
• Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders: How Lighthouse Supports the NHS Webinar Oct 2025. This informative webinar from Lighthouse Group provided insight in to their collaboration with NHS Leadership Academy to offer leadership apprenticeships with added value and focused on their Operations Manager and Team Leader programmes. Slides from the webinar can be viewed here.  Also, a short recording of a recent NHS Operations Manager apprentice is available here.

If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Matthew Rawlings, Client Relationship Manager – [email protected]

How to Apply

If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship (either for yourself, a member of staff or a vacancy position), please complete the Primary Care Expression of Interest Form. This is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only. By completing the expression of interest form, the Training Hub Apprenticeships team will be able to complete basic pre-checks, provide you with personalised guidance, and start the programme application process for you. If you would like to discuss anything first, please email [email protected] or call Olivia, Apprenticeships Manager, on 07735161775. You can find out more about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process - Employer Guide. Social Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria, please contact Dawn on [email protected]

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