Apprentice Occupational Therapy Practitioner

Salary: AFC Band 5 Annex 21

These payments are subject to change with the new 2023-24 pay scales

Year 1- 65% of the top of band 5 – £21,407.10

Year 2- 70% of the top of band 5 - £23,053.80

Year 3- 75% of the top of band 5 - £24,700.50

We have a rare and exciting opportunity for a motivated individual who wants to become an Occupational Therapist. The successful applicant will be enthusiastic about the profession and will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of an OT through experience. For those people who are interested in helping individuals overcome difficulties in daily living, working across varied specialities with people of all ages, then this is a fantastic opportunity.

The apprenticeship is a 3 year degree level program for an Occupational Therapy (Degree Apprenticeship) BSc (Hons) during which you will learn all the skills needed to become a registered Occupational Therapist.

We will provide a work placed mentor to provide guidance, support and knowledge in the Occupational Therapy profession.

You will be part of the therapy team learning alongside them in the workplace. The academic and placement component is supported by The University of Huddersfield. The successful applicant would be offered the post subject to being accepted onto the University of Huddersfield Occupational Therapy Apprentice degree program. Support to complete this application will be provided.

The Trust has a reputation for being at the forefront of NHS modernisation. It considers the welfare and development of its staff to be of paramount importance. We, as a service, offer supported training opportunities, both internal and external (to Masters level), supervision/mentorship and an established development framework which supports CPD.

The services in some areas provide 7 day cover and the successful applicant must therefore be prepared to work weekends and extended days.

Upon qualifying and being registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), you will be given the opportunity to apply for a band 5 Occupational therapy rotational post. Rotational posts offer the opportunity to work in acute, community, intermediate care, Accident and Emergency and children’s services.

A clean British driving license is essential as is access to a car with business class insurance. (reasonable adjustments will be considered)

You may be eligible to gain accreditation for your prior learning.Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)is where you can claim academic credit for your prior learning achieved from an accredited course. Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) involves claiming academic credit for prior learning gained through experience and not from an accredited course. The University only accepts claims for APL, which combined with the chosen course of study will not exceed six years.

The recognition of prior learning will be considered on an individual basis by the Admissions Tutor. The assessment of recognition of prior learning applications will be undertaken through a collaborative process between the education provider and the employer. The maximum amount of prior learning must be less than or equal to one third of the total pre-registration program, and may include practice-based learning in accordance with Royal College of Occupational Therapists standards for pre-registration education (RCOT, 2019).

Applications will only be considered from people who have recent experience of working as a therapy assistant within an NHS or Local Authority Occupational Therapy service.

Summary of most important Experience/Skills/Qualifications required:

Applicants should have:

• Have GCSE English Literature and Mathematics at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or equivalent.

Plus one of the following:

• BBB at A Level preferably in a health-related subject.
• DDM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care or Applied Science.
• NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma/Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care at Grade B.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits, 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit.
• Have an understanding of the Occupational Therapy Profession.

Please see attached for the job description document for this post for further details in regards to the main responsibilities of the role.