Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme. Apprentices gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills they need for their immediate job and future career, all while earning a wage.
An apprenticeship will give you the skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver safe and effective care. There are many benefits when considering an apprenticeship; each programme will allow the apprentice to:
- Be recognised for the work you do
- Gain valuable work experience
- Develop job specific skills
- Study whilst you are working
- Further career potential
- Achieve nationally recognised qualifications
We offer a number of apprenticeships at the trust:
This apprenticeship is available for existing members of staff and is delivered internally under our main employer provider status. Being a senior healthcare support worker involves providing high quality and compassionate specialist health and social care for a range of people, including children and young people. It is a good option for our Support Workers within our children and young people Care Delivery Service.
For more information on this apprenticeship opportunity, please contact Skills.advisor@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk
Registered nursing associate apprenticeships are available for existing health care support workers and offered externally to staff who want to join Sussex Partnership. These are a way of ‘growing our own’ staff and offer a great career route to develop in a new nursing role. As a Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA), you will be paid on a Band 3 salary and, upon completion of your course and End Point Assessment, registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and if successfully appointed to a Registered Nursing Associate post, this will increase to Band 4.
Trainees will attend university one day a week and experience practice in a variety of clinical settings across a number of local health care providers. Successful trainees will gain a Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care Practice.
There is also the chance to join a pilot trainee nursing associate (TNA) learning disability and/or autism programme. This involves following the Trainee Nursing Associate programme and completing approximately 50% learning disability and/or autism practice experience, supported by a learning disability senior development nurse.
To apply to be a TNA you will need to provide evidence that:
- You are working within Sussex Partnership as a HCSWor equivalent in a permanent post.
- You have applied for a HCSW as an external candidate and have successfully been employed as a HCSW in order to apply to one of our local universities to be considered for a TNA place.
- You have the support from your line manager, general manager and Care Delivery Service (CDS) Lead Nurse to apply
- Your mandatory training is up to date (including the Care Certificate)
- You hold a Level 2 (or above) certificate in English and Maths
- You hold a relevant or equivalent Level 3 qualification
- You have studied at a Level 3 within the last 5 years
For more information on this apprenticeship opportunity, please contact TNAApplications@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk
The University of Brighton is the first local University to start this apprenticeship programme and we have the opportunity to offer spaces for the registered mental health nursing degree apprenticeship programme starting in September 2022. This will be for existing staff that meet the entry requirements of the Trust and the University. There are a limited number of spaces available and there is an internal application process.
The Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship is a BSc (Hons) Level 6 qualification which allows apprentices from Sussex Partnership to qualify and register as a mental health nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The registered nursing degree apprenticeship programme offers the options of:
- Recognition of Prior Learning for Registered Nursing Associates to join year 2 of the programme.
- Entry by unregistered practitioners to complete the full Mental Health Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship programme which takes 3 years and 4 months (subject to eligibility criteria).
More information about the programme offered by the University of Brighton can be found here.
Entry Requirements
- Must hold a substantive post with Sussex Partnership and have the support of the local CDS to release you for the period of the programme.
- Recognition of Prior Learning up-to 50% of the course credits can be transferred (applicants will be considered on an individual basis in line with the University of Brighton policy)
- 112 UCAS tariff points (equivalent to A-level BBC including a science or social science subject)
- Access to Higher Education Diploma - 60 credits overall in a Nursing or Social Care related subject (at least 45 credits at level 3 with 30 credits at distinction)
- All candidates must have maths and English Language Grade 4 or equivalent (Function Skills Maths and English level 2)
- BTEC DMM in a health or science subject.
- Applicants who have completed the Skills for Health Bridging Programme will be considered
The application process for the September 2022 cohort will start in January 2022. Please keep checking this page for further information.
Advanced clinical practitioners manage defined episodes of clinical care independently, from beginning to end, providing care and treatment. This is a Level 7 Apprenticeship.
Entry criteria include:
- Applicants must be registered with an appropriate professional healthcare body in the UK (for example, HCPC, NMC, RCOT) and should normally have a minimum of three years post-registration experience.
- Applicants must hold a degree qualification.
- Applicants must have studied within the last five years.
- Applicants must apply through an internal interview process before applying directly to the university providing the MSc.
Applications for this apprenticeship are supported by theDepartment of Nursing Research, Education and Development. . If you would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail and find out when the recruiting process begins, please contact NursingEducation@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk
You can find more detailed information on this apprenticeship here
The diagram below shows a potential career pathway for those interested in becoming a nurse via an apprenticeship route. Depending on your existing qualifications, you could be eligible for the Registered Nursing Associate or Registered Nurse Degree apprenticeship first, without first having to do a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification.
Please note all applicants will need to have approved level 2 qualification in English and maths, such as GCSEs/O Levels at a grade C or above. The Trust has an ESOL and Functional Skills programme to support staff members who don’t and require further support.
Sussex Partnership provides a preceptorship programme over the first year after qualification to support you in your transition from mental health, adult or learning disability student nurse to registered nurse. Making sure that newly qualified nurses are supported through this transition is an important priority for Sussex Partnership..
We want you to feel supported, engaged and able to develop as a professional nurse with us at what can be a challenging time. You will be allocated a preceptor to support you through the process of preceptorship and help you with your development.
Your preceptorship programme is a great opportunity to map out your continuing professional development and consider how you want to progress your career as a nurse. The programme is also a platform for you to reflect on and evaluate your role, your identity as a nurse and acknowledge when you need that extra support from your preceptor and your multi-professional team.
The first nine months of the preceptorship programme includes 6 study days. The programme is designed and delivered by senior mental health professionals and peer trainers – people with lived experience of mental health services.
As part of your statutory and mandatory training you will meet and learn from/alongside newly qualified practitioners from other professions. Your preceptor will be there to support you to access these different learning events. We provide a workbook to document your preceptee journey which will help to inform your first revalidation.
For further details on the nursing preceptorship please contact: preceptorship@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk.
The Department of Nursing Research, Education and Development works with university partners to help deliver mental health and learning disability nurse, paramedic and nursing associate training through providing practice placements.
Other programmes the department manages include: the Continuing Professional Development training programme for nurses, the Nurse Development Programme; Research Awareness Module for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, Practice Assessor Preparation Training, Supporting Learners in Practice Updates and Collaborative Learning in Practice (CLiP) training . We also support nurses who want to develop a career as an advanced clinical practitioner, nurse teacher or researcher.
The Department of Nursing Research, Education and Development works in partnership with eleven higher education institutes to deliver pre-registration education including:
- Up to 220 pre-registration metal health student nurse placements in the Trust each year
- Over 50 insight placements for paramedic students
- Links with Human Resources to guide and support return to practice nurses to their nearest higher education institute providing a Return to Practice programme. We support the candidate to find them the right team to satisfy their 100 practice hours so they can Return to Practice as soon as possible.
Hear from Dr Anita Green (Director of Nursing Research, Education & Development), Sarah Walker (Project Manager), Ali Smith (Lead Nurse, Continuing Professional Development) and Carly Partdridge (Practice Education Facilitator) as they discuss how we support our nurses to think about their own development, and get the best out of their career at Sussex Partnership:
For more information on any of our professional education opportunities, please contact: NursingEducation@spft.nhs.uk
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