Additional
| Apprenticeship | Pharmacy Technician |
|---|---|
| Education Provider | Preston College |
| Location | Blended, Face-to-face |
Pharmacy Technician (Level 3)
Pharmacy Technicians are registered professionals working within the regulatory standards for pharmacy, as set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) Pharmacy Order 2010. Pharmacy Technicians work in a wide range of settings, including (but not exclusively): registered pharmacies, community services, justice (the Prison Service), GP Practices, dispensing doctors’ practices, care homes and clinical commissioning groups, hospitals, mental health, defence (HM Armed Services) and within the pharmaceutical industry.
Employer Feedback
Feedback from Managers on the benefits the Pharmacy Technician apprenticeship has brought to the organisation:
”It provides additional support for the qualified Technicians we already have in post – Patients, colleagues and 3rd party organisations (e.g. care homes) are now receiving a better service and improved response times. It has further developed links with other sectors through cross sector working. It has demonstrated a progression pathway for staff in administrative roles to becoming a qualified clinician. Another staff member has re-taken GCSEs, to be in a position to apply in the future. Our learner has already shown a significant change in their confidence levels and is now willing to attempt tasks they would previously have shied away from. Their clinical knowledge is developing along with understanding of processes, other clinical roles and different Pharmacy sectors has also noticeably improved.”
Duration
27 months
27 months
Most Suitable For
Those wanting to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a Pharmacy Technician.
Those wanting to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a Pharmacy Technician.
Award
Level 3 Pharmacy Technician Advanced Apprenticeship award and BTEC Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians
Level 3 Pharmacy Technician Advanced Apprenticeship award and BTEC Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians
Programme Cost
£8,000.
The apprenticeship tuition fee is paid using employer levy. Levy Paying Employers and Non-Levy Paying Employers, please read the DAS and Tuition steps within our Apprenticeships Process – Employer Guide for more information and instructions.
Additional Funding
For Primary Care Employers:
- NHSE have confirmed a training grant is available for Community Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeships, for employers whose apprentice starts on programme on or before 31 October 2025. The training grant is £15,053 per year for up to 2 years. Employers will need to apply for this and have until Sunday 15 June 2025 to do so. Instructions are available here.
- 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
September and January
September and January
Teaching Delivery
Hybrid online with Teams and attending Preston College face to face every 4/6 weeks
Hybrid online with Teams and attending Preston College face to face every 4/6 weeks
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; 1 day a month face-to-face teaching, plus coaching sessions (every 6 –8 weeks), workshops (once a month) and online resources.
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.
4) Placements; learners are required to be working in a registered pharmacy practice for 30 hours per week, learning from a qualified Pharmacist, plus/must include dispensing. General Practice based dispensing pharmacy will need to partner up with a pharmacy (either Community Pharmacy or Trust) to make sure that the requirements of the apprenticeship are met. The learner will receive timetabled visits from a Tutor.
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.
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.
This programme does not require external placements to be completed, although varied experiences are beneficial.
Assessments
Apprentices will be assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations/evaluations and End Point Assessment.
Apprentices will be assessed throughout the programme by assignments, observations/evaluations and End Point Assessment.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
• Employed 30 hours or more per week for the duration of the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship duration may be extended to support staff who work less than this (will be looked at on individual basis)
• 1 GCSE in Science at grade A-C/9-4 (preferably in Biology or Chemistry). If there is no GCSE Science, the alternative entry can be: an achieved L2 Pharmacy Assistant and completion of a bridging science exam completed at Preston College prior to enrolment.
• Preferably, evidence of English and Maths at GCSE C/4 or above /Functional Skills Level 2 / Equivalent. (If the candidate does not have evidence of Maths and English at the relevant level, there are two options; 1. via HEE funded online revision and exams. Contact Training Hub Apprenticeship Team for more details.
2. Or, Training Provider will support the learner through the relevant learning and exams, alongside their apprenticeship. An initial diagnostic assessment will be completed by the Training Provider at application stage to determine suitability for this option)
Full requirements and details are found on the course webpage/information.
Key Employer Entry Requirements
• Ensure Learner has the support and opportunities to achieve the requirements of the apprenticeship
• A Qualified Pharmacist to mentor the apprentice
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes
Yes
Application Timescale
It takes on average 2 – 3 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
- All resources provided by the L&SC PC Training Hub such as Digital training, Health and Wellbeing support and events.
- Plus, visit our Pharmacy Professionals webpage for more information on Pharmacy roles in Primary Care, plus further training, support and resources.
Pathway
On successful completion of this apprenticeship, examples of further apprenticeship options include; Enhanced Practitioner for Pharmacy Technician. Skills England has an 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
02/07/2025
02/07/2025
Programme Resources
If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Business Development Lead at Preston College, Amanda Morey 01772225702 or 07783809082 [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]
