Apprenticeship Hub
Information and resources for departments
The Orthoptic Apprenticeship offers a practical route to becoming a qualified orthoptist by combining paid employment with structured learning.
This page offers information and resources to support departments looking to take on an apprentice.
You can also find out more about the course itself via the University of Sheffield website.
Key Considerations for Employers
If you are looking to implement this within your department, you will need to consider:
- Staffing: ensuring your current Orthoptists have the capacity to act as clinical mentors.
- Funding: utilising the Apprenticeship Levy to cover tuition costs.
- Workforce planning, including preparation of your business case
- Liaison with your trust apprenticeship lead and adherence to any trust or region policies, e.g. banding and contracts of apprenticeship positions
- Workload of your current workforce and clinical tutors
Business case examples and templates
In some Trusts, you may be required to put forward a business case. Here are some examples:
- Orthoptics Example: Summary / Detailed report / Band 4 JD
- Apprenticeship Business Case – Podiatry Example
- Ophthalmology Business Case Template (ACP)
You may also find the information below on the benefits of apprenticeships and the example job descriptions helpful.
Benefits of apprenticeships
There are many benefits to the apprenticeship route, for the apprentice, your department and the profession:
- Support social mobility
- Improved employee retention and career progression
- Access to a diverse talent pool
- Cost-effective workforce development
A report evaluating the Midwife Degree Apprenticeship found the following costs and benefits compared to the traditional route:
Item |
Midwifery degree apprenticeship |
Traditional route |
| Demand | Low but growing |
High but some decline
|
| Course fees | Cost to employer if new post Backfill |
Zero employer cost
|
| Supervision, mentoring, and other costs | Cost to employer |
Zero employer cost
|
| Attrition | 0-4% | Average 13% |
| Direct productive contribution | Apprentices will contribute to productivity from day one while they are in workplace |
Zero or minimal benefit to employer
|
| Wider spillover benefits during training | Increased motivation of existing support staff and general rise in productivity. Partnership working. |
Zero or minimal benefit to employer
|
| Post training | Apprentices are ‘work ready’ and readily transition to substantive employment More reflective of their local community. Diverse Likely to remain employed in their host employer (retention and reduced recruitment, selection, and onboarding costs) |
May leave following qualification (‘transition shock’). May not reflect local community. May not remain with host employer.
|
Advice about bandings - Job descriptions and bandings for Level 6 Apprentice Orthoptists
Employing organisations are taking different approaches to the banding and pay of apprentices.
If you are not given any guidance by your training department as a professional body, we recommend you follow the advice in the NHS Employers Terms and Conditions Handbook, which states that trainees should be paid as per Annex 21.
Annex 21 describes a pay scale that is based on a percentage of the appropriate pay band on qualification, in this case Band 5. In the 1st year, they would receive 65% of Band 5, 2nd year 70% and 3rd year 75%. The Job Description (JD) and Person Specification (PS) would be that of the job they are working toward, i.e., Band 5. The percentage drop must not be allowed to take the pay below the national minimum wage. On current pay scales, the pay of an apprentice orthoptist would start at the equivalent of Band 2. It is not necessary to be in a position to offer a Band 5 post on completion of training.
If you have current orthoptic support workers who wish to become apprentices and are currently on Bands 3 or 4, then under Annex 30 of the NHS Employers Terms and Conditions Handbook, they would remain on their current banding. Occasionally, Training Leads will be concerned that there is an issue of equity, in that external applicants coming into the Trust will be on less money than the internal candidates, but this should not be a problem, as the established staff have experience and will be able to continue with some of their current duties and should be rewarded for this. Current employees would keep their substantive JD & PS.
We have provided a model Band 5 JD & PS with the additional information required to convert the post to an apprentice. This is not actually necessary, and your employer may be happy to use a standard Band 5 JD & PS and provide the additional information about pay and the training aspects of the role in the job advert. Other employers would require a specific JD & PS.
If your employer already employs apprentices on Band 3 and Band 4 in other professions, then you will have to follow local protocols. The entry requirement for the orthoptic apprenticeship means that an Apprentice Orthoptist JD & PS would not match to a Band 3 profile. They would have to be Band 4, and you would need to ensure they take on responsibilities commensurate with a Band 4 role. This means you will be unable to accept school leavers with no caring or technical experience. An example of a Band 4 role profile can be found in the generic therapy suite of profiles at NHS Employers’ national profiles.
We have provided a model Band 4 JD & PS.
Sample Orthoptic Apprenticeship job descriptions
- Orthoptic Apprentice (Band 5)
- Orthoptic Apprentice (Band 4)
- Orthoptic Apprentice (Band 4) – associated business case is above
- Orthoptic Apprentice (Band 4)
Other professions:
Apprenticeship interviews
NHS AHP Learner Hub – Example job interview questions for AHPs
HM Government – Guide to Apprenticeship Interviews
University of Sheffield – Apprenticeship information
National links and resources
Apprenticeship FAQs
BIOS Member only content
National Launch Webinar
World Orthoptic Day Follow Up Webinar
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