Apprenticeship offers rapid recruitment route for biomedical scientists

The success of a novel apprenticeship model piloted at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust for the rapid recruitment of biomedical scientists is set to spark interest among hospital trusts and universities across the country.

The Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship offers a funded route for students to train in pathology and gain statutory registration as biomedical scientists with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

The paid apprenticeship is being seen as an attractive alternative to the traditional placement route where students work full time - often unpaid - for up to a year before completing their degree. This is an expensive option for many students, especially during the current cost-of-living crisis.

The pilot apprenticeship model was developed by Coventry and Warwickshire Pathology Services (CWPS), hosted by UHCW NHS Trust, in partnership with Coventry University. The aim was to speed up the recruitment process in response to increased demand for HCPC-registered biomedical scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five apprentices were recruited on 18-month, fixed-term contracts in biochemistry, haematology, cellular pathology, virology and molecular pathology, and microbiology in September 2022. While working in paid employment, they attended university one day a week to complete their academic modules.

Two of the apprentices, Ruth Yosef and Ravinder Kalirai, are still with the Trust having completed their degrees and been appointed to permanent Biomedical Scientist roles in Histology.

Ruth says the apprenticeship allowed her to complete her final year alongside her placement year, which significantly sped up the registration process with the HCPC and enabled her to secure the role as a biomedical scientist.

“I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity, especially since I know how challenging it can be to enter the field,” she said. “Prior to the apprenticeship, I struggled to gain experience, as most roles required it upfront. The apprenticeship not only provided me with essential hands-on experience but also allowed me to become fully registered and qualified as a biomedical scientist by the end of the programme.

“I truly enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside incredibly knowledgeable and inspiring professionals at UHCW NHS Trust. Their support and expertise greatly enriched my experience, and I feel fortunate to have met them—something that wouldn’t have been possible without the apprenticeship programme.”

Ravinder believes the apprenticeship helped her career tremendously as she had been able to practice as a biomedical scientist much sooner than her university peers.

“Although completing both my final year and the IBMS registration portfolio simultaneously was demanding, it helped me understand the laboratory processes and university module content a lot quicker, she said.

“I enjoyed being able to gain experience working in a laboratory environment while at university. This made my overall learning experience a lot more enjoyable, as I was able to apply my knowledge a lot sooner than the traditional route through a placement year, would have allowed me to.”

Rachel Cleaton, Pathology Practice Education Coordinator for South Midlands Pathology Network (ME4) and Joint Project Manager for the Midlands Pathology Academy Project, there is a strong case for the paid level 6 pilot model to be an alternative to the unpaid placement model in future.

“The advantage is that the apprentice is paid while they complete their studies and could then be offered a permanent role at the end,” she said.

Ian Sturgess, Group Director of Operations, Diagnostics at UHCW NHS Trust, added: “I recall the initial meeting where the Trust met with Coventry University representatives. It was a light bulb moment in describing the option to create a hybrid between full-time study and apprenticeship models. It is satisfying to have seen the model delivered in practice, and the positive experience had by the candidates.”

An article outlining the benefits of the novel apprenticeship for candidates, employers and universities has been published in the June issue of The Biomedical Scientist, the magazine of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

Photo captions:
Left: Rachel Cleaton, Pathology Practice Education Coordinator for South Midlands Pathology Network (ME4), in the Histology lab at University Hospital, Coventry, with Ian Sturgess, Group Director of Operations, Diagnostics, and Tasnim Ruma, Training Section Manager for Histology, who works with biomedical scientists Ruth and Ravi. Right: Ruth Yosef, Biomedical Scientist in Histology, says the novel apprenticeship gave her the opportunity to work alongside inspiring professionals at UHCW NHS Trust.