Dr Laura Charlesworth
Dr Laura Charlesworth
Kathryn Williamson
Kathryn Williamson
Published in 2023, NHS England’s Long Term Workforce Plan set out a long-term, strategic plan to ensure the NHS will have the workforce it needs, focusing on three priority areas of train, retain and reform.
The plan outlined the growth requirements for core professional groups within the health service. Based on knowledge of vacancy rates, disease prevalence and increasing population pressures, the plan included workforce modelling to outline the anticipated workforce demand to ensure the NHS is fit for the future.
According to the plan, an additional 71,000 allied health professionals will be required to meet future service demands, necessitating an increase in AHP education and training places of 19-25 per cent by 2031. To meet these ambitious targets, the expansion will require growth through both traditional undergraduate programmes and an increased focus on apprenticeships. Specific to radiography, it is proposed that 80 per cent of Therapeutic Radiographers, and between 25 and 50 per cent of Diagnostic Radiographers, should join the AHP workforce via an apprenticeship route (NHS England, 2023).
Currently radiography degree apprenticeships are only available in England, although there are plans to select an AHP discipline for a pilot apprenticeship programme in Northern Ireland. In England, 13 providers offer diagnostic radiography degree apprenticeships, and there are four providers of therapeutic radiography degree apprenticeships.
The importance of apprenticeships
Radiography apprenticeships are essential for several reasons. As outlined above, they are crucial in addressing the workforce growth requirements as outlined in the Long Term Workforce Plan. Expanding on this, apprenticeships also offer an additional route into the profession, through an accessible career path for individuals who might have been unable to access a traditional undergraduate radiography programme.
Apprenticeships offer an alternative to traditional university programmes, making radiography careers accessible to a broader range of individuals, including those who might not be able to afford or commit to full-time study. They provide ‘earn while you learn’ opportunities, allowing apprentices to have financial independence while training, and supporting those who may already have financial commitments to engage in higher education. Apprenticeships help create a direct pipeline by providing a structured, hands-on training pathway with greater emphasis in the workplace when compared with a traditional undergraduate programme.
Apprenticeship routes can help to attract a more diverse workforce by offering flexible pathways that appeal to individuals with various socioeconomic backgrounds and from different communities. This diversity can improve patient care by fostering a workforce that better understands and represents the communities it serves.
Education providers delivering apprenticeships work closely with employers. In particular for therapeutic radiography, apprentices are often geographically dispersed – employed in departments that have not previously partnered with the university as a practice learning provider for existing undergraduate programme delivery. This model requires the education institutions to work and align closely with the needs of employers, ensuring training fits organisational requirements and overcomes local challenges. This employer-driven model means that graduates are immediately effective in their roles, and early evidence indicates that this has a positive impact on retention within the profession and specifically within the employing organisation (Skills for Health, 2024).
Currently within radiography, apprenticeships span FHEQ levels 4 through to 7, providing further opportunity for widening access to the profession and facilitating feeder routes. Apprenticeships often integrate opportunities for continuing education and professional development, enabling individuals to advance within their careers through upskilling in line with service and population health needs.
Challenges and considerations
It is recognised that the delivery of apprenticeships presents a range of challenges. One key issue is capacity within the health system, both in terms of resources and infrastructure to support apprentices effectively. There remains some lack of understanding about the unique nature of apprenticeship models in terms of pedagogical principles and delivery compared to the well-understood traditional model of radiography training. Apprenticeships cannot simply be a cut and paste of traditional programme design and delivery. They require a distinct pedagogy and mode of learning that integrates practical work-based training with academic content, requiring adaptations in both the academic setting and the workplace through a revised structure of delivery.
Managing learner supervision, defining roles and responsibilities, and aligning expectations among employers, educators and apprentices are all considerations required for the successful delivery of apprenticeships. Workplace capacity also poses a challenge, given the pressures facing service delivery. To deliver apprenticeships, employers are required to balance their role as both a pre-registration learning environment and a functional workspace, often requiring a cultural shift and additional training across staff to embrace this dual purpose.
The important role of practice education is also amplified when considering the addition of a new and different training route. The provision of effective practice education, while also ensuring support and development for practice educators themselves, is essential for success.
As an established provider of diagnostic and therapeutic radiography degree apprenticeships, Sheffield Hallam University has developed the apprentice model of support (figure 1). This model recognises the comprehensive support required for apprenticeship delivery and might be useful for employers and education providers setting out on their apprenticeship journey.
Radiography apprenticeships play a pivotal role in addressing workforce challenges and creating accessible, diverse and employer-aligned pathways into the profession. By enabling education providers to work closely with employers, apprenticeships ensure training is tailored to meet service needs and improve retention within the profession. However, their successful implementation requires careful consideration of workplace capacity, revised pedagogical approaches and robust practice education. With appropriate investment and collaboration, apprenticeships can continue to support lifelong learning and professional development, ensuring the radiography workforce is equipped to meet evolving healthcare demands.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Challenges and considerations
It is recognised that the delivery of apprenticeships presents a range of challenges. One key issue is capacity within the health system, both in terms of resources and infrastructure to support apprentices effectively. There remains some lack of understanding about the unique nature of apprenticeship models in terms of pedagogical principles and delivery compared to the well-understood traditional model of radiography training. Apprenticeships cannot simply be a cut and paste of traditional programme design and delivery. They require a distinct pedagogy and mode of learning that integrates practical work-based training with academic content, requiring adaptations in both the academic setting and the workplace through a revised structure of delivery.
Managing learner supervision, defining roles and responsibilities, and aligning expectations among employers, educators and apprentices are all considerations required for the successful delivery of apprenticeships. Workplace capacity also poses a challenge, given the pressures facing service delivery. To deliver apprenticeships, employers are required to balance their role as both a pre-registration learning environment and a functional workspace, often requiring a cultural shift and additional training across staff to embrace this dual purpose.
The important role of practice education is also amplified when considering the addition of a new and different training route. The provision of effective practice education, while also ensuring support and development for practice educators themselves, is essential for success.
As an established provider of diagnostic and therapeutic radiography degree apprenticeships, Sheffield Hallam University has developed the apprentice model of support (figure 1). This model recognises the comprehensive support required for apprenticeship delivery and might be useful for employers and education providers setting out on their apprenticeship journey.
Radiography apprenticeships play a pivotal role in addressing workforce challenges and creating accessible, diverse and employer-aligned pathways into the profession. By enabling education providers to work closely with employers, apprenticeships ensure training is tailored to meet service needs and improve retention within the profession. However, their successful implementation requires careful consideration of workplace capacity, revised pedagogical approaches and robust practice education. With appropriate investment and collaboration, apprenticeships can continue to support lifelong learning and professional development, ensuring the radiography workforce is equipped to meet evolving healthcare demands.
References and additional reading
NHS England. 2023. NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. NHS England » NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
Skills for Health. 2024. The Long Term Workforce Plan. NHS Long Term Workforce Plan - HASO
If you would like to explore apprenticeships as an employer in England, you can access the IFATE webpage here: Home / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
If you would like to explore as an education provider, contact the professional officers for education and accreditation at approvals@sor.org or review the following publications highlighting radiography degree apprenticeships:
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