National Apprenticeship Week 2023: How an apprenticeship opened the door to becoming a nurse | Latest updates

National Apprenticeship Week (6-12 February 2023) offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate and promote apprenticeships in Northamptonshire. Throughout the event, we’re shining a spotlight on the value and benefit that apprenticeships bring to individuals and organisations alike.

This post highlights a primary care success story, in which completing an apprenticeship enabled a local Health Care Assistant (HCA) to begin their journey towards becoming a qualified nurse.

In February 2020, Kirsty Dodd became one of the first primary care HCAs to join the Open University’s Apprentice Nurse Associate programme at Parklands Surgery, Rushden. Despite the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, Kirsty forged on with her apprenticeship – she saw it as fantastic opportunity to achieve her goal of becoming a nurse.

Journey to nursing

She’d been working at Parklands Surgery since November 2015. The passion and enthusiasm required to become a nurse was clear to her colleagues at the surgery, but as a parent with a young family, the traditional full-time route at university was not an option.

By completing an apprenticeship, Kirsty was able to combine her academic learning with work in the practice, further developing her clinical skills and knowledge. She successfully completed her programme in February 2022, becoming an NMC Registered Nurse Associate. This has opened even more doors for Kirsty. The qualification has enabled her to sign up for the Registered Nurse Degree Top-Up Apprenticeship. As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2023, she is set to begin her second apprenticeship with the Open University. Upon completion, in 18 months’ time, she will fully qualify as a nurse.

Alongside Kirsty’s own hard work and dedication, the support of her practice and her colleagues has been equally important throughout the qualification. Mandy Hack, Practice Manager at Parklands Surgery, always believed that Kirsty had the potential to upskill and become a Practice Nurse.

“The apprenticeship pathway has enabled us to support Kirsty’s development. It has been just as rewarding for us as a practice to be able to provide this opportunity and fingers crossed, we will gain a Registered Nurse."

Jo Stewart, Training Hub Relationship Manager at Northamptonshire's Primary Care Training Hub, said: “As a Training Hub, we are really keen to encourage more colleagues to explore the benefits an apprenticeship can offer.” 

Exploring options is also something that Kirsty highly recommends to others thinking about their own development and career aspirations. “Talk to somebody. I didn’t really know where to start or understand how an apprenticeship worked, but this has worked for me. It’s not an easy option, but I have learnt so much, and my goal is in sight,” she advises.

Would you like to find out more about a health and social care career in Northamptonshire? Find out more about apprenticeships in our area on the webpage.

Fund your qualification with an Apprenticeship Levy transfer

Not only has Kirsty's apprenticeship proved successful for both herself and Parklands Surgery, it has also highlighted collaboration between organisations in Northamptonshire. In this case, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust supplied funding to the surgery through an Apprenticeship Levy transfer.

The government apprenticeship levy is a form of taxation designed to help companies offer more apprenticeships. Even if your organisation does not pay the levy, you can still receive funds from one that is as part of a commitment from our health and social care employers to support the skills base within the wider economy.

Transfer funds can pay for the costs of training and assessment - and can be accessed quickly and efficiently with support from Northamptonshire Health and Care Careers Academy.

Find out more and apply for an Apprenticeship Levy transfer here.