Level 6 Public Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship
Background
The Public Health Practitioner apprenticeship was approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in 2019.
It is a three-year programme covering the breadth of the practitioner role whilst completing a bachelor degree qualification (typically BSc Public Health).
An apprenticeship provides work-based training and learning, allowing the apprentice to learn by doing the job. Those who complete the Public Health Practitioner apprenticeship successfully will have demonstrated all the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a fully competent practitioner (aligned to the UKPHR Practitioner Standards 2nd Ed), and will be eligible to apply to register with UKPHR as a Public Health Practitioner.
This apprenticeship offers another entry route to becoming a public health practitioner. It is ideal for those seeking to start a career in public health across any of the public health domains (health protection, health improvement, healthcare public health). Entry to the Public Health Practitioner apprenticeship requires no prior knowledge nor experience of public health. The standard, including the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), and the end-point assessment plan are available on the Institute’s website.
Apprenticeships provide new learning for an apprentice, so it may not be suitable for experienced individuals already working at a practitioner level or those with a closely related Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. If you already hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in public health you will be ineligible for the apprenticeship. The retrospective practitioner portfolio route, which is accessible via local assessment schemes, may be better suited to you. This route is most appropriate for those who have at least 2 years of public health practice work experience in the UK.
Benefits of the Public Health Practitioner apprenticeship
Apprentices:
- Develop a broad range of skills and competencies to support personal development and career progression within public health
- Achieve recognition for the skills, knowledge and behaviours gained on the job
- Gain a public health degree at no financial cost, with the opportunity, following successful completion, to gain nationally recognised professional practitioner registration
- 6 hours per week protected time (based on a 30-hour week) for off-the-job learning
Listen to this short film from Bethany, Public Health Apprentice at Doncaster Council talk about her experience as a PH Apprentice on this short Facebook reel.
Employers:
- Diversify and increase the public health workforce
- Grow your own, building a pipeline of future workforce
- Develop new or existing staff
- Practitioners develop transferrable skills across public health which increases resilience of the system
- A guide for employers is also available as an animation.
Next Steps
- Prospective apprentices: New entrants should look out for Public Health Practitioner degree apprenticeship job openings. Existing employees within a public health departments or fields can discuss their interest with their line manager.
- Interested employers: The Yorkshire and Humber region now supports an open cohort for the public health practitioner degree apprenticeship standard. This means employers can reach out to any approved training provider to discuss their enrolment and or recruitment plans.
Training providers currently used within the Yorkshire and Humber region
- University of Salford - On Campus, January 2025 start date
- University of West of England - Online only, September 2024 start date
Contact yhphworkforce@dhsc.gov.uk for further details on the offers from each training provider.
