APPRENTICESHIPS

An ageing population and an increased prevalence in obesity and diabetes means demand for podiatry services is on the up. At the same time, statistics show the number of people choosing to study podiatry is falling, while two-thirds of those practising are already aged 50 or over. So how can the profession tackle this shortfall? A programme of paid apprenticeship degrees in England could be the answer, and is already attracting a new generation of clinicians.

A new route

The podiatry apprenticeship standard, launched in September 2019, allows students to earn a salary while studying for a BSc or pre-registration MSc degree – without paying fees. It allows those interested in either entering the profession or furthering their training to qualify and get a degree, while gaining hands-on, patient-facing experience.

The University of Brighton was one of the fi rst providers to offer the course. Programme lead Stewart Morrison says: ‘Apprenticeships are a very good route for people who might not consider themselves suitable for degree programmes; it’s a more inclusive way to develop the podiatry workforce. We’re fl exible with our admissions policy to recognise that prior work can be as valuable as academic credentials. It’s about ensuring our approach to developing the workforce is open to everyone.’

Uptake for the three-year course so far has been positive, Stewart says, with a recent recruitment drive for

Words Emma Bennett

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

one apprenticeship post attracting 51 applicants. The University of Plymouth has also noticed a surge in interest across both its three-year BSc and twoyear pre-registration MSc programmes since starting in January this year, with September’s intake set to double.

The university’s BSc programme lead, Philip Hendy, says apprenticeships were vital to increase the number of students embarking on a career in podiatry. ‘People were contacting us wanting to become part of the podiatry profession but either couldn’t afford to go to university or their home life meant they were unable to join a traditional degree programme,’ he explains. ‘Plymouth has designed a portfolio of distance-learning apprenticeships that allow apprentices to work under supervision in clinic from day one, developing their clinical skills, working with patients and accessing specifi cally designed online distance-learning materials.’

Learning a lot

For Aaron McCusker, choosing the apprenticeship route to continue his surgical training was a no-brainer. He is in his fi rst year of studying for a three-year master’s in podiatric surgery at Huddersfi eld University, working 30 hours a week at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

‘It’s a vast amount of work but I wouldn’t change it,’ says Aaron. ‘The next phase of my training would have cost me £10,000, so accessing the funding through the apprenticeship has massively benefi ted me.

‘While the commitment can’t be underestimated, working a 30-hour week means I’m learning from other podiatrists and my surgical tutor rather than staring at books all day. Being able to discuss cases face to face – to go through X-rays

As podiatry grapples with attracting new talent into the profession, could apprenticeships be the key to growing the workforce?

and scans, and talk about complicated patients – is hugely benefi cial.’

Aaron qualifi ed as a podiatrist in 2017 and has been interested in podiatric surgery since a surgeon gave a talk to his undergraduate class. ‘It interested me, so I reached out to him on Twitter. He put me in touch with Mr Lee Murphy at the Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery in Blackpool and I ended up going to shadow him in theatre that weekend. I was instantly sold.

‘I’m learning so much from him and have access to a variety of clinics, including new patient assessments, surgical follow-ups, minor surgery clinics, the dressing clinics and, of course, surgery. We have also been helping to cover preoperative assessments where necessary.’

‘The apprenticeship levy money is there and if you don’t use it, you lose it. Approach your HR team and you’ll probably find they’re keen for you to tap into it’

Vikki Pestridge

Removing barriers

There are benefi ts for employers, too, in taking on apprentices. They can attract local talent and develop their own workforce, while accessing government funding to cover the cost of training. But fi guring out how to get started isn’t always easy. The College’s Podiatry Apprenticeship Group (see Resources) was formed to provide support for employers and members interested in taking on apprentices.

Emma Stoneman, professional lead for podiatry and deputy therapy lead for East London NHS Foundation Trust, is the group’s chair. She is using her experience of developing the fi rst cohort and apprenticeship programme, in collaboration with the University of East London, to try to remove some of the barriers to employing an apprentice. She says: ‘Each apprenticeship is unique and there can be a lot of work involved for employers – accessing funding, agreeing the job description and salary, recruitment and working with universities. We want to develop standardised guidance to make the process as easy as possible.’

One of the key challenges is helping employers – in both the NHS and private practice – understand how to access the £24,000 needed to fund a place. For employers with a pay bill of £3m or more – such as large NHS trusts – they can access the apprenticeship levy, with 0.5% of their pay bill going into the pot. They have 24 months to use that money for training before it goes back to the Treasury.

For everyone else, there are two options. Jennifer Stone, Talent for Care relationship manager for London, explains: ‘There’s reserved funding, where the government pays 95% of the cost and the employer pays the remaining 5% to have access to

‘Think about what your service needs and plan apprenticeships into your workforce development plans. Can you make a vacancy into an apprenticeship? Is there an opportunity to collaborate with others in your region to share placements between employers?’

Jennifer Stone

RESOURCES

For more information about the diff erent apprenticeship programmes, providers, case studies and advice, go to haso.

skillsforhealth.org.uk

Go to jobs.nhs.uk and gov.uk/applyapprenticeship to find apprenticeship vacancies in podiatry. Interested in employing an apprentice? Contact your regional Talent for Care apprenticeship manager or jennifer.

stone@hee.nhs.uk

to get started. To find out more about the College’s Apprenticeship Group, email james.

coughtrey@cop.org.uk

The perfect fit

Vikki Pestridge, AHP operational lead for podiatry at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, has two first-year apprentices, including Beth Richardson at the University of Salford. They highlight what other nations – Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – as well as the wider profession could learn from England when it comes to apprenticeships.

Vikki:

We have a cohort of staff heading towards retirement, so as part of our succession planning we were thinking about how we can build our future workforce. Beth was working with us as an admin assistant and we knew she had a passion for podiatry. She had worked as a podiatry assistant and wanted to further her career, so her next step was to gain a degree. We needed a local course, so I approached the university while Beth drove it from a student point of view. Thankfully, it all fell into place.

For us to have somebody we can grow and develop, and off er a job to at the end will be very rewarding. As a trust, you have to be flexible and understand that the timetables are guided by the university. At first, we found it could change with little notice and we had to adapt to release staff quickly. This was challenging but we have regular meetings with the university to iron out issues. Developing those relationships with the university is important. While recruitment was up to us, we took advice from the university leads during the interview process. It’s important to understand the apprenticeship is an academic degree and apprentices have to be able to perform at that level.

Beth:

While I was working full time as an admin assistant I did a health access course. There was no guarantee the apprenticeship would go ahead, so I was relieved that it did because I wanted to develop my knowledge and skills. I would never have been able to aff ord to do a degree without an apprenticeship, and I can’t study full time as I have children and a mortgage. This way, I don’t pay fees and I’m paid a wage – it’s the perfect fit.

We’re absorbed in the course through work and I have already learned so much. When I came into podiatry I absolutely loved it, and doing this apprenticeship I can see the end goal. Putting the theory into practice is like a puzzle and I’m enjoying seeing the pieces coming together.

The most challenging parts are the exam and assessment, because free time is limited. I was fully aware we would have to do a lot of work in our own time, but it’s important to find the right balance for family life and be organised coming up to the exam period.

the course. Or you can do a levy transfer where you ask a levypaying organisation to fund the place from their levy. If a private practice in London came to me asking for a levy transfer and I asked a nearby trust to do it, they would jump at it. As the levy expires after 24 months, they would rather it be used in the health and social care sector than expire and be returned to the Treasury.’

While there’s still more to do to make it easier for employers to take on apprenticeships, interest is defi nitely on the rise, says Emma. There were just fi ve apprentices studying programmes across England in the academic year 2019-20, with a further 23 joining in 2020-21. ‘Now employers have seen other organisations starting to recruit apprentices and we’re getting feedback on how effective they are, we’re getting a lot more interest,’ she says. ‘Working in the NHS is demanding and complex, and apprentices are learning how to cope with that by being in the work environment.

‘Win hearts and minds. Think about what you can gain from employing an apprentice rather than what you will lose. You can have all the toolkit support you need but unless your team is on board and can see the value of apprenticeships, it won’t work’

Emma Stoneman

They are as good as undergraduates and their clinical progression is faster given their increased exposure to the workplace.’

Business as usual

And while Covid-19 may have taken apprenticeships off some trusts’ agendas for a few months, the pandemic has not halted the programmes. ‘They have been invaluable,’ explains Emma, who took on two new apprentices in 2020. ‘They managed all our PPE, they delivered dressing packs for patients in their own homes, helped with developing leafl ets and pulling induction packs together, as well as assisting in clinics. Covid-19 has given us the opportunity to showcase what the profession can do.’

University of Brighton apprentice Natasha Bassett says that in many ways it had been business as usual. ‘The diabetic foot clinics still ran, even though there was an increase in DNAs and same-day cancellations,’ she says. ‘So I’ve still gained fantastic experience in wound-care exposure, while others in my cohort were on lockdown and gaining no clinical experience.

‘As all the foot care clinics were cancelled, I spent some time helping our admin team and gained a new respect for all they do. Working through Covid was stressful, but I had the opportunity to continue applying the theoretical knowledge from online lectures to real patients. The whole team at East Sussex Healthcare Trust has helped me at some point throughout this apprenticeship, and the support I’ve had from the managers and mentors during Covid has been second to none.’

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