Course overview
Public health practitioners (PHPs) work across the breadth of public health as part of a national workforce. Settings can include health improvement and health protection to health information and community development. They focus on the health of people and communities to ensure long, healthy, and productive lives. PHPs can work in organisations such as the NHS, voluntary and private sectors, community agencies, local government councils, local or international agencies and business agencies.
Apprentices develop into caring and compassionate future-ready, entry-level public health practitioners, eligible for UK Public Health (UKPH) registration. They become autonomous, professional, reflective practitioners, able to evaluate research, apply an evidence-based approach, inspire others and provide the highest quality public health practice. They gain confidence and become critical, creative, adaptable, articulate and aspiring practitioners who are socially and ethically engaged, research-active, globally connected and digitally empowered.
Who is this apprenticeship for?
This apprenticeship is ideal to prepare apprentices in your organisation for the challenges and demands of contemporary and future public health practice. It develops graduates who are fit for practice, advocates for the profession, and able to champion and develop best practice, promoting confidence in public health. Enhance your new or existing staff with transferrable skills across public health, increasing resilience of the system.
Five reasons for your public health apprentice to study this apprenticeship:
- Experienced teaching team: apprentices benefit from the academic and research expertise of our team, who have a collective wealth of experience in public health and apprenticeship delivery (regular training and continuous professional development of staff).
- Collaborate and network: apprentices engage with public health research excellence as part of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, with aims to improve health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities.
- Service user engagement: apprentices benefit from valued collaborations with service user colleagues, including recruitment and selection, learning and teaching, and assessment.
- Research opportunities: internal and external opportunities for apprentices to undertake meaningful primary/secondary research, audit and service evaluation with support.
- Real-world experiences: apprentices engage in authentic real-world major projects within practice or university (health needs assessment, policy implementation and evaluation/research).
An apprenticeship combines vocational work-based learning with study towards a university degree. Designed in partnership with employers, apprenticeships offer a higher education qualification, a salary, and invaluable practical experience and employment skills. Find out more
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
Year 1 core modules
Contemporary Public Health Issues
Apprentices gain an understanding of the public health spectrum, focusing on contemporary health issues and skills to?examine factors contributing to development and prevention. This includes in-depth critical thinking around health inequalities, and the use of the key public health principles, such as health intelligence and notification, health promotion/prevention, protection strategies and the importance of multiagency collaborative working in its management. Apprentices learn to understand the key concepts in the prevention of contemporary public health-related issues and dilemmas.
This is a 30-credit module.
Apprentices study disease and health outcomes in populations, looking at causes (reasons why some people become ill and why some populations are healthier than others) and what we can do to remove or control causes. It is the science underpinning public health, clinical research and healthcare evaluation. Knowledge and understanding of epidemiological concepts and methods is a basic requirement for effective public health practice. Apprentices cover epidemiological measures, main study designs, screening and surveillance, and gain understanding of epidemiological study designs and statistical aspects of interpreting these studies.
This is a 30-credit module.
Apprentices explore key elements of the public health field, providing a firm foundation to develop in future modules. Apprentices examine concepts and definitions of health and public health, the three pillars of public health (disease prevention, health protection and health promotion), the social determinants of health, how these link to health inequalities, and the impacts of political, economic and democratic processes on health.
This is a 30-credit module.
Apprentices gain the skills needed to take part in simple research within a public health context. They are introduced to sources of data, research design, data collection and analysis, ethics, and methodological quality. They develop proficiencies in critical appraisal, report writing and dissemination.
This is a 30-credit module.
Year 2 core modules
Epidemiology is the discipline underpinning effective public health practice and research into the causes, control and prevention of disease. Apprentices gain a basic understanding of epidemiological methods, their applications, strengths, weaknesses, and current methodological issues. They learn basic statistical principles and techniques, including how to assess risk and disease impact. Apprentices learn about the core key epidemiological concepts: measures of disease; association and causation; confounding and bias. They are introduced to research designs, including cross-sectional, ecological, cohort, case-control, intervention studies and population health measures, such as screening. They address the learning dimensions (meaningful, active, challenging, reflective, collaborative and co-created). Apprentices complete after-class exercises for each topic and participate in small group discussions in the classroom. This enhances their inquiry skills, including critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and appraisal of published studies. Discussions are selected from real-world epidemiological studies and basic biostatistics.
This is a 30-credit module.
Apprentices develop as confident and effective public health practitioners, able to reflect on, respond and contribute to the public health agenda. They explore health, health needs assessment, health improvement and community development from a theoretical perspective within a social, political and economical context. Apprentices apply the principles of public health to their own defined community and workplace setting, and critique the evidence base for public health practice, exploring strategies for identifying, prioritising and facilitating health improvement.
This is a 30-credit module.
Leadership and Strategy in Public Health Practice
Apprentices are introduced to the critical role leadership and management has in improving population and community health. They develop skills and knowledge, an understanding of theories, and how these contribute to responsive, efficient and effective public health services. Apprentices learn about personal qualities associated with different leadership styles, and situations where different approaches and qualities are appropriate. Through this knowledge, they develop their own personal leadership and management styles.
This is a 30-credit module.
Building on previous modules, apprentices develop on the skills needed to understand and take on research within a public health context. They are introduced to a range of advanced research designs and methods in public health. They learn how to develop a research proposal and apply for ethical approval.
This is a 30-credit module.
Year 3 core modules
Apprentices consolidate and develop their skills and knowledge gained in previous modules. The dissertation provides an opportunity to define their own research topic and work on this over an extended period. It is the culmination of the programme and tests theoretical frameworks and ideas encountered. The nature of the project varies appropriate to the topic. Apprentices may choose to utilise a range of methodologies for their study, such as primary or secondary quantitative, primary or secondary qualitative or systematic reviews. If undertaking primary research, they must not start substantive work on the project before the ethical approval/release, and evidence of this must also be included.
This is a 60-credit module.
Apprentices are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare and manage a research project and complete a methodologically and ethically sound proposal, forming the basis for their dissertation. They develop the key competencies to initiate and independently plan a research project that can generate solutions to problems that affect public health. Strong emphasis is on designs and techniques for conducting research. They gain knowledge in planning primary (qualitative and quantitative) and secondary (systematic reviews) studies, and applying for research ethics, ensuring their work is conducted with integrity and in compliance with ethical guidelines. Apprentices develop understanding of the core elements of research preparation and management. Active learning is promoted through class discussions, debates and group work. Apprentices are encouraged to work together to develop ideas for planning research to address current public health or health-related issues. Between lectures they are expected to engage with online guided learning materials designed to broaden their understanding of research designs and evidence-based practice in health, develop their critical thinking skills and consolidate their learning through reflection. It is also expected that they pursue their own independent and autonomous studying, focusing on topics of personal and professional interest in greater depth.
This is a 30-credit module.
Public Health Practitioner End Point Assessment
This module prepares apprenctices for the End Point Assessment (EPA). Their knowledge, skills and behaviours are instrumental in practicing effectively.
This is a 30-credit module.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
Apprentices take part in one day of off-the-job learning, delivered every Monday in Semester 1 and 2 of each year on the course. These sessions include in-person and online teaching, and compliment what they are doing in their job, contributing to the achievement of the relevant knowledge, skills and behaviours. Teaching is delivered by a team of academic staff including professors, senior lecturers, lecturers and practitioners.
A hybrid delivery model provides apprentices with flexibility, allowing them to attend lectures face-to-face or over live stream. All lectures are recorded, giving them ease of access to learning materials.
Apprentice review process
Apprentices meet with their apprentice quality coach and employer every 12 weeks to discuss their progress towards achieving the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), tracked using Smart Assessor.
How you are assessed
Apprentices are assessed through written assignments, reflections, reports, case studies, exams, poster presentations and projects. Modules are closely integrated with practical experiences, with content directly linked to practice proficiencies and Apprenticeship Standards KSBs. This provides a realistic and relevant evaluation of their understanding and skills. To ensure assessments reflect real-world practice, some scenarios and case studies are developed in collaboration with practitioners and service users, helping apprentices develop a comprehensive and practical skill set, preparing them for a successful career in public health.
Apprentices’ progress towards achieving the KSBs is tracked throughout the course using Smart Assessor. They are supported by our academic quality coaches to effectively document their progress so they can complete the EPA after the taught credits.
The EPA gateway for this apprenticeship can only be accessed once:
- all 330 credits of the apprenticeship have been passed
- the employer is satisfied the apprentice is consistently working at, or above, the level of the occupational standard
- the apprentice has achieved English and mathematics qualifications in line with the apprenticeship funding rules
- the apprentice has submitted a portfolio of evidence to the EPAO.
Formative assessment within each module provides opportunities for staff to encourage and support apprentices, helping them set challenging but achievable goals. These learning assessments consider learner growth and absolute achievement, recognising that apprentices become motivated and productive learners when they are working on issues or problems without fear of failure.
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
To be accepted on to a degree apprenticeship course you must have support from your employer and meet the course entry requirements.
To be accepted on to a degree apprenticeship you must have support from your employer and meet the course entry requirements.
Apprentices must:
- be employed
- hold Level 2 qualifications in English and maths.
Recognition of prior learning is available to apprentices and considered on an individual basis.
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
This course is a professional apprenticeship and, after completion, graduates are expected to continue in employment as trained and skilled PHPs. However, this course offers a range of opportunities for career development. Graduates are eligible for UKPH registration and will be autonomous, professional, reflective practitioners with the ability to evaluate research and apply an evidence-based approach to public health practice. They will be critical, creative, adaptable, articulate and aspiring PHPs who are future-ready, socially and ethically engaged, research-active, globally connected and digitally empowered, opening possibilities to careers in any field of public health.
Graduates can practice as a PHP in roles such as:
- community engagement officer
- community health worker or development worker
- disease prevention lead (infection, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes)
- healthy lifestyles or wellbeing coordinator
- health protection and improvement practitioner
- injury and accident prevention officer
- immunisation programme coordinator
- institutional health management
- workplace health advisor
- public health intelligence specialists/officers (data collection, analysis, interpretation, reporting in public health)
- public health promotion and advertisement bureau (tobacco control, sexual health promotion)
- public health project manager.