Course overview
In modern healthcare systems, leaders must be able to influence and support a multicultural workforce and lead innovations and improvements within their area of practice. Apprentices develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours required to lead and manage safe, high-quality and effective healthcare.
Apprentices should be working in a management or leadership position and be sponsored by you as the employer. They are employed while studying part-time for the apprenticeship, and need to evidence off the job training both from their education and within the workplace to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Please note, we can only respond to enquiries from employers, or individuals with agreement from their employer to undertake an apprenticeship.
Supporting information for applicants
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
Advanced Personal Effectiveness
You evaluate your personal effectiveness, leadership and management capabilities and develop an action plan to meet your learning needs.
Designing Ethical Research in Healthcare
Prepare for your dissertation project at master’s level. You develop your ability to design an ethical research project that could contribute to the evidence base of your profession. You gain the necessary knowledge and skills to design research relevant to your practice, including primary research, systematic reviews, audit and evaluation. You are equipped with the ability to negotiate ethical approval processes and complete documentation that allows you to gain ethical approval. Develop skills in producing focused questions, searching academic databases, designing sampling, data collection and data analysis/synthesis methods, evaluating research and the principles and practices of ethical research design.
You complete a practice-based project or systematic review. The practice-based project allows you to explore an area of your professional practice and implement and evaluate a change, or propose how you could do so in practice. You demonstrate advanced capabilities in literature retrieval and critical appraisal, to develop your knowledge and understanding in a topic related to your professional practice. Produce a 4,000-word journal article-style submission and a poster presentation, preparing you for writing for publication and presentation at conferences.
Leading Change and Managing Improvement
Learn to lead and manage improvement within a health or social care context. Develop your knowledge and understanding of tools, techniques and approaches to effectively plan and lead improvement and strategic change. Gain an understanding of the human dimension of change, consider why change can falter or fail, and examine the skills, behaviours and approaches to manage it. Write a management report outlining your strategy to lead change, considering the complexity within your organisation, how to lead ethically and how manage the human dimensions of any change project.
You explore organisational issues such as culture, business modelling and risk management strategies, and the impact that has on staff engagement, wellbeing and performance. Create a robust proposal on how you would use your leadership and strategic oversight to address key issues from a failing organisation. You arrange to meet with a panel of peers from your organisation.
Organisational Culture and Strategy
You are introduced to concepts associated with culture and strategy within organisational contexts. Consider the nature of working across public and private sector, exploring organisational performance, and focusing on the impact of different leadership strategies that influence organisational culture. You engage with policy and legislative frameworks relevant this and the role of monitoring performance. Identify how culture influences overall performance, applying key policies, theories and frameworks, and critically evaluate the effectiveness of your organisation’s performance.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
Apprentices learn through blended learning, combining distance learning and in-person teaching.
They enhance their digital skills by engaging with online learning activities, communities of practice, peer support networks and a professional online presence.
They take part in action learning and facilitated coaching conversations to develop their skills in presenting ideas, supportive critical questioning, and facilitating reflective and solution-focused practice.
Independent and self-directed learning is a feature of master’s level courses. The Final Project is a self-managed piece of work with support through 1-2-1 supervision sessions. Apprentices have opportunities to share their experiences and perspectives of working within healthcare environments and consider applying concepts to practice.
How you are assessed
Apprentices are assessed through a range of formative and summative assessment approaches, including a reflective essay, case study analysis, presentations, oral exams, management reports and a major project. The assessment strategy assesses their subject-specific knowledge, cognitive and intellectual skills, personal and transferable skills, values and behaviours applicable to the workplace. All assignments are submitted electronically. Following successful completion, apprentices are assessed by an independent end-point assessor. The end-point assessment comprises a strategic business proposal (including the proposal, presentation and questioning) and a professional discussion based on a review of their portfolio of evidence.
Entry requirements
To be accepted on to an apprenticeship course you must have support from your employer and meet the course entry requirements.
Apprentices should hold an honour’s degree (2.2 classification or above) in a health or social care-related subject or in leadership/management, or hold an equivalent professional qualification.
For apprentices aged 16-18 on the first day of their apprenticeship, a level 2 English and maths (GCSE grade 4/C or level 2 functional skills) remains mandatory before completion.
For apprentices aged 19 and over, the level 2 English and maths requirement is now optional. English and maths training can be included where agreed by the apprentice and employer.
Apprentices with other qualifications and experience may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Apprentices should have two years postgraduate experience if they are an aspiring leader or manager OR be able to demonstrate leadership and/or management responsibilities within their role.
Apprentices must be nominated by their employer. The employing organisation sets the selection criteria for their apprenticeship (such as previous or management experience, length of time within management post or qualifications).
We cannot accept applications from international students requiring a student visa.
Eligibility for apprenticeship funding in England
To qualify for apprenticeship funding in England, an apprentice must meet all the criteria outlined by the Department for Education in the Apprenticeship Funding Rules. These requirements apply to programmes starting between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026.
1. Right to work
The apprentice must have the legal right to work in England.
2. Residency eligibility
The apprentice must meet the residency requirements detailed in Annex A of the Funding Rules. This includes (but is not limited to):
- being ordinarily resident in the UK (or specified territories) for at least three years immediately before the apprenticeship begins, unless a specific exemption applies
- exemptions may apply to individuals with:
- refugee status or humanitarian protection
- permission under the Ukraine or Afghan schemes
- stateless status
- certain family member rights
- pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
3. Visa duration and completion viability
For apprentices with time-limited immigration permission (such as visas), the permission must cover the entire duration of the apprenticeship, including the end-point assessment. If the visa expires before completion, the apprentice is not eligible for funding.
Full details can be found in the official guidance: Apprenticeship Funding Rules 2025 to 2026
Employability
Career opportunities
Apprentices develop core transferable skills, knowledge and behaviours to effectively lead and manage within healthcare organisations. They may progress into senior and strategic leadership and management roles, including leading across traditional boundaries in complex healthcare systems.
Work placement
Apprentices are encouraged to seek out opportunities within their organisation to develop skills, such as coaching and mentoring, understanding finance and procurement, and project management. Corporate Social Responsibility is also built into the course. They are encouraged to engage in approaches to support others and the local community in line with this strategy.
