Apprenticeships are vital to mending the workforce crisis facing health and social care
Kelly McAllister, Group Head of Apprenticeships at Luminate Education Group
Our health and social care system stands at a crossroads. In the midst of a growing workforce crisis, shaped by an ageing population, an ageing workforce, and chronic staff shortages in hospitals, community services and support settings face unsustainable strains. It is clear to me that if we don’t place apprenticeships at the heart of our health and social care workforce strategy, this crisis will only deepen.
The scale of the challenge is stark. Across the NHS and adult social care, vacancy rates have remained alarmingly high for some time. In England there are more than 110,000 NHS vacancies, excluding primary care roles, and over 150,000 unfilled adult social care posts These rates are far higher than the wider job market average.
This pressure is compounded by demographic shifts. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan shows the number of people aged over 85 – the group most likely to need intensive health and care support – will grow by more than 50% by 2037, with a projected shortfall of up to 360,000 staff by the mid-2030s if action isn’t taken.
Yet despite this, more people leave the sector each year than join it. Many young people and career-changers are unaware of the breadth of rewarding roles available beyond traditional clinical pathways. Meanwhile, employers struggle to attract talent into health and care occupations, and the non-regulated care workforce suffers both low qualification levels and high turnover.
Apprenticeships must be part of the solution
Apprenticeships offer earn-while-you-learn routes into the workforce that are accessible and practical. They attract new entrants who might not otherwise consider a career in health and care, providing real-world experience alongside recognised qualifications.
Employers benefit too. Due to the nature of apprenticeships, apprentices are motivated to learn, can be developed in line with organisational needs, and are more likely to stay with their employer on completion of their programme.This all helps to build a workforce that is job-ready and resilient.
And we’re seeing that employers value this route into health and care roles. In the NHS, the number of clinical and non-clinical apprenticeship standards has more than doubled in the last decade.
At Luminate Education Group, a Yorkshire-based education group that includes Leeds City College, Harrogate College and Keighley College, we work closely with NHS partners including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Bradford Royal Infirmary. Our apprenticeships span Level 2 to Level 5 and cover a broad range of clinical and support roles, with clear progression routes that help individuals build lifelong careers.
Investing in our young people to support an ageing population
National Apprenticeship Week, held between 9 and 15 February, is a chance to challenge misconceptions about careers in health and social care. Too often, apprenticeships are viewed as a secondary option to university for breaking into the health and care sector. In reality, they provide an effective and practical route into meaningful, long-term careers that sustain our most vital public services.
But these opportunities need continued investment. Without sustained support for high-quality apprenticeship provision, the workforce gaps in health and social care will continue to widen, putting services under further strain and compromising care for our most vulnerable.
Solving the health and social care workforce crisis will require bold thinking, collaboration across sectors and a renewed commitment to the people who deliver care every day. Apprenticeships should not be a peripheral part of that solution, they must be central to it.
Tags: Apprenticeship, Luminate Education Group, National Apprenticeship Week