Health Education England working across Kent, Surrey and Sussex (HEEKSS) aim to fund 80 level 3 apprenticeship qualifications in adult social care settings across Kent, Sussex and Surrey. Sixty are aimed at care assistants in nursing and residential care homes, and domiciliary care and 20 within services for people with learning disabilities. It is highly likely the majority of individuals will be existing staff, although new recruits coming in at the required level could also potentially access these.
The apprenticeships should be used to develop skills in the workplace to improve quality of care in these settings. For example, apprentices could be trained as champions in better stroke care, infection control, prevention of falls, positive behaviour support, self-care, oral hygiene, health and social care integration (i.e. increasing access to appropriate and timely primary and secondary healthcare) or other skills which managers identify as the highest risk factors of avoidable hospital admissions.
This project aims to assess the impact of HEEKSS funded apprenticeships on rates of avoidable hospital admissions in Kent, Surrey and Sussex and to explore which factors within these apprenticeships are most strongly associated with the reduction of avoidable hospital admission rates. The funding will be £1000 towards a level 3 apprenticeship qualification.
Organisations are free to use the training provider / college of their choice, alternatively HEEKSS can recommend a training provider who can deliver the apprenticeship training for between £600 and £750 plus VAT depending on the age of the apprentice. This cost may be affected if the individual has a prior qualification including level 3 apprenticeship or higher as the training provider will not be able to draw down as much funding for individuals with these qualifications as those without. Throughout the process we will inform you of any potential cost to the qualification and organisations will be able to decide whether they continue in placing staff on the course. The funding we are providing does not have age restrictions on it.
We would like staff who have yet to complete a relevant level 3 qualification to be the prime group for this pilot.
In order to be able to undertake the apprenticeship the candidate should work for at least 30 hours per week. The qualification takes circa 18 months to complete. Depending on the training provider chosen the ‘taught’ element may either be in a college classroom or in the workplace. You can choose which is more preferable to you and your staff member.
In order to access this funding there will be a requirement for individuals to sign up on to the Level 3 Health and Social Care Apprenticeship Framework and for the individual being training and their manager to actively engage in the Skills for Care evaluation process prior to starting, during and on completion of the apprenticeship qualification. Employers will also be expected to take part in a follow up evaluation six months after the apprenticeship has completed to enable Skills for Care to assess the longer term impact of the apprenticeship.
As funding is limited to 80 candidates there will be a shortlisting criteria if we have in excess of 80 proposed candidates, and assuming candidates meet the criteria, the funding will be allocated on a ‘first come first served basis’. This criteria will include:
Evidence that individuals selected for an apprenticeship:
o does not currently possess a level 3 apprenticeship qualification or equivalent
o has the ability to complete the qualification
The pilot will be open to new and existing staff deemed capable of undertaking the rigor and work associated with the apprenticeship, this will include functional skills assessment (numeracy, literacy)
Organisations may be awarded funding for more than one member of staff where there is a clear reason indicated as to how this process will benefit the individual and the organisation
If you would like to put forward candidate(s) please complete the attached spreadsheet and return to Robert Smith, Project Manager working with Health Education England across Kent Surrey and Sussex . If you have any questions or would like to discuss this programme in more detail prior to submitting please contact Robert on 07917 520964