CSP evidence to the Education Select Committee, Apprenticeships Inquiry

The CSP supports the principle for the development of apprenticeships relating to the physiotherapy workforce as a way of increasing workforce supply to meet demand. This is providing that the quality of the learning experience and outcomes - and therefore the quality of service delivery and patient care - are upheld.

The CSP has actively inputted to the development of apprenticeship opportunities over the last year to seek to seek to optimise their quality and currency. CSPs evidence focusses on areas of action to mitigate or avert potential risks to apprenticeships’ development.

Summary of our key points

• The CSP supports the principle of apprenticeships as a way of increasing the physiotherapy workforce supply to meet demand at all levels – including entry to the profession, support worker roles and advanced practice roles.
• There are risks that opportunities for workforce and skills development through apprenticeships will not be optimised at a key time of need (including in the context of Brexit)
• There needs to be clarity about how apprenticeships (including at degree level) will help to meet workforce needs within health and social care
• There needs to be clarity about how the new, complex infrastructure for apprenticeships is being developed and applied at degree apprenticeship level and to ensure that both new and established quality assurance arrangements coalesce in a robust, efficient way
• There are current unknowns about whether the new financial model on which apprenticeships are founded is tenable (for both employers and education providers)
• There are practical challenges for employers to take on apprentices; e.g. given the additional costs relating to backfill and the demands of supporting high-quality on-the-job learning
• For all these reasons, it is currently unclear whether good-quality learning/career development opportunities can be provided to apprentices from all backgrounds and in ways that actively contribute to meaningful workforce/skills development at a key time of need.