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What are the biggest benefits of an apprenticeship compared to other routes into this career pathway?

“The biggest benefit of taking the apprenticeship route is that I am able to apply the learning from lectures at the beginning of the week to support my practice at the end of the week. I am able to apply this new knowledge instantly and I feel as though my practice is improving week by week! I can also use the knowledge and support of my colleagues to support my learning by having both informal and formal discussions as we work!

The apprenticeship means that I am able to earn a wage (the same amount that I was previously earning) whilst training to become a therapist. I enjoy work and did not want to have to step away from working whilst completing a degree.

Jane Owen

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome this?

“One of the biggest challenges was trying to work out my weekly hours as I was previously working term time only and 30 hours a week. However, the university and my NHS Trust have really supported me to be flexible and work out a way to make sure that I can maintain my part time hours, meet the required working and studying hours and maintain my work-life balance!”

How is this apprenticeship helping you to develop personally and professionally?

“I have already learned a lot of new skills, such as working within a group to create a professional infographic, writing a degree-standard academic essay, and time-management skills to ensure I meet the requirements of both my work setting and my online learning. I am also developing my  observation, evaluation and reflection skills.

“My role in the workplace has also changed. I have the opportunity to observe and shadow colleagues more now. I am also taking advantage of working with speech and language therapists (SALTs) on a daily basis to ask them about evidence-based strategies that they are using.”

How are you supported by the University of 91ֱ�� and your employer?

“91ֱ�� has been very supportive. They have provided support for accessing online resources and have supported us in writing our first academic essay. There is an enormous amount of online resources available to us. I also have a mentor at university who I have regular meetings with and can email when needed. I can also email the module lecturer if I need support with any of the learning. 

“I also have a mentor in the NHS who I can contact for any support I need, as well as regular meetings with both my university mentor and my NHS mentor.”

What advice would you give to someone considering an apprenticeship?

“Go for it! I am so pleased that I have taken this route to become a speech and language therapist. It fits in so well with my family life and I am really enjoying the challenge of learning new information that I have the opportunity to instantly apply to my own practice.”