Enter your career in healthcare
Apprenticeships are a great way to enter into a career in health or care, and to support you to develop skills and knowledge to advance in your career.
In Kent and Medway, there are many different apprenticeship opportunities available, at different entry levels. These fall across all sectors of health and care such as primary, secondary, community care and the social care sector. These can be in clinical roles such as a nursing associate, or in an administrative and clerical role, as well as many others.
Apprenticeships provide you with the opportunity to earn while you learn, with most employers paying you more than the minimum wage. Your apprenticeship will be a mix of time spent on work placement and days at a training centre or college. Many apprenticeships can lead to a permanent role upon completion.
There are no age restrictions to an apprenticeship, although some clinical settings require a minimum age of 16 or 18 for safety reasons.
If you are interested in an apprenticeship in health or care in Kent and Medway, you can apply by either contacting an employer directly via their website or you can apply via NHS jobs or Trac.
Visit our Partners page to find out what local apprenticeship opportunities are available near you by clicking on the logos.
Or you can click on the link below to visit the vacancies page.
Stories from Kent and Medway's apprentices
Click the button below to read stories from people working in health and care who changed their life by doing an apprenticeship
What you need to know
- If you are aged 16 to 18 or 19 plus and in your first year of an apprenticeship, the minimum you should receive is £6.40 an hour (the National Minimum Wage for apprentices). However, many health and care employers will pay you more than the national minimum wage, which from 1st April 2025 will be £12.21 for over 21-year-olds, £10.00 for 18-20 year-olds and £7.55 for 16-17 year-olds.
- Over a week, you're likely to spend the equivalent of four days on work placement and one day at a training centre or college.
- You'll gain a competence qualification (based on what you can do in the workplace) and a knowledge qualification, or a qualification combining both.
- Anyone over the age of 16 can do one.
- Apprenticeships take between one and five years to complete.
- You'll develop your skills, including English and maths.
Apprenticeship levels
Health and care apprenticeships are available at several levels:
Level 2
Level 2
Equivalent to GCSEs
Levels 4 & 5
Levels 4 & 5
Equivalent to a foundation degree and above
Level 3
Level 3
Equivalent to A levels or a T Level
Levels 6 & 7
Levels 6 & 7
Equivalent to a full Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
Entry requirements
This will depend on the employer and the type and level of apprenticeship.
For example, you may be required to have functional skills in maths or english to do a level 2 apprenticeship. You can do a functional skills test online, search for courses through the National Careers website.
You may need four or five GCSEs at grades 9-4/A-C or equivalent to do a level three apprenticeship. To start a level five or six apprenticeship you're likely to need A-levels, equivalent level three qualifications or relevant and sufficient experience.
Become a registered nurse through the apprenticeship pathway
Did you know that you can become a Registered Nurse through doing an apprenticeship?
The below image from Skills for Health - healthcare apprenticeships shows how you can develop your career from healthcare support worker to a registered nurse through the apprenticeship pathway. Through apprenticeships, you can earn a wage while you gain your nursing qualification and receive practical, on-the-job training.
Watch the video
2023 LearnLive Broadcast from Kent and Medway Apprentices
