Leeds Trinity University

Key details

Start date(s): April 2027
Study Mode: Full-time (2 years)
Location: Horsforth Campus
School: Health and Life Sciences

FdSc Assistant Practitioner (Apprenticeship)

Take the next step in your healthcare career with our Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship (FdSc), designed for health and social care support workers who are ready to develop advanced knowledge, skills and responsibilities within their role.

Assistant Practitioners are highly skilled professionals who provide direct care and support to individuals while working under the guidance of registered practitioners. They are able to work with increasing autonomy within a defined scope of practice, carrying out delegated assessments, interventions and procedures that support high-quality patient care.

The apprentice will need to be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a relevant role and have the support of their employer.

The Student Contract

About this course

This innovative programme combines a Foundation Degree (FdSc) with the Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard, creating a fully integrated learning experience. Teaching, learning and assessment are designed to meet both the academic and apprenticeship requirements simultaneously, ensuring there is no duplication of learning while preparing apprentices for successful completion of their End Point Assessment (EPA).

Learning is centred around the workplace, enabling apprentices to apply new knowledge and skills directly to practice while continuing to earn a salary. The programme provides a flexible route into higher education, allowing apprentices to achieve an industry-recognised qualification without paying tuition fees.

Developed in partnership with local healthcare providers, the programme has been designed to meet workforce needs across the allied health professions. It supports Assistant Practitioners working in Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Dietetics, and Speech and Language Therapy, while also being suitable for those in wider health and social care roles such as discharge planning, care coordination, emergency care and social care services.

A key strength of the programme is its multidisciplinary approach. Apprentices from a variety of professional backgrounds learn together, sharing experiences and developing a broader understanding of different roles and services. This collaborative model helps build a strong community of practice, preparing graduates to work effectively across professional boundaries and contribute to integrated, person-centred care.

Whether you are looking to enhance your current role, develop specialist expertise, or progress your career within health and social care, this programme provides the knowledge, skills and confidence to achieve your goals.

Course modules

You will study a variety of modules across your programme of study. The module details given below are subject to change and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Year 1

Foundations of Clinical Practice – Core

Core clinical skills, assessment and interventions and health promotion.

Health and Wellbeing – Core

Anatomy and Physiology alongside health psychology and sociological perspectives to provide a view of health and wellbeing using the biopsychosocial model.

Foundations of Professional Practice – Core

Core professional skills, including communication and record keeping, working within policies and procedures such as safeguarding and GDPR.

Multidisciplinary Team Working – Core

The structure and roles of the multidisciplinary team and the broader structural and strategic environment in which we work.

Work based Learning 1 – Core

Ongoing self-reflection and personal and professional development planning linked to the specific job role in the workplace.

Year 2

Developing Professional Practice – Core

Further development of professional skills, to include leadership and dealing with challenging situations in the workplace, and the education of others.

Quality Improvement and Research – Core

Understanding the process of research, how it is conducted and published and how this informs evidence-based practice. This practical knowledge then informs a micro quality improvement project conducted in the workplace.

Developing Clinical Practice – Core

Further development of clinical practice skills, to include leadership in practice and managing care, which may result in care plans being adjusted.

Work based Learning 2 – Core

Ongoing self-reflection and personal and professional development planning linked to the specific job role in the workplace and preparation for End Point Assessment.

Learning and teaching

The Student Contract

Throughout the Foundation Degree, you'll complete a range of academic assessments. Many offer a choice of topic and format, allowing you to focus on your job role or interests and demonstrate your learning through a written assignment, presentation or professional discussion. Some modules encourage creative approaches, such as developing educational resources, podcasts or short videos, while more traditional formats, such as posters, are equally valued.

Fourteen of these assessments have also been designed to meet the evidence requirements for your End-Point Assessment (EPA) portfolio. This means the work you complete throughout your studies contributes to both your degree and your apprenticeship. By the final module, you'll have built the portfolio needed for your EPA, reducing duplication and allowing you to focus on successfully completing your apprenticeship.

The main place of learning for the apprentice is the workplace, with learning being delivered in on-the-job learning (80% of the apprentices time) and off-the-job learning (20% of the apprentices time). The on-the-job learning is planned and delivered by the workplace, and the on the job learning is planned and delivered by Leeds Trinity University, both parts of the apprentices learning journey and planned and interlinked to ensure a seamless ongoing development journey.

When apprentices join the programme, they will complete an onboarding process which will result in an individualised training plan that is based on acquiring new learning. This training plan will include the apprentices currently level of knowledge and skills, and will define a pathway which will include scheduled off the job learning, and suggested on the job learning in order to continue development towards the occupational standard. The apprentice will keep a log of their progress, which will be reviewed frequently at progress reviews by the apprentice, the academic mentor and the work based mentor.

Off the job learning is delivered by a day release model and will be delivered either in person on campus, via a structured synchronous day of learning coordinated by webinar, or as directed learning. This is to maximise the use of in person time on campus, and to reduce time, cost and travel requirements for apprentices. Content will be aligned to the most appropriate method of delivery.

Learning and teaching

At Leeds Trinity we aim to provide an excellent student experience and provide you with the tools and support to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional potential.

Our Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy delivers excellence by providing the framework for:

high quality teaching
an engaging and inclusive approach to learning, assessment and achievement
a clear structure through which you progress in your academic studies, your personal development and towards professional-level employment or further study.

We have a strong reputation for developing student employability, supporting your development towards graduate employment, with relevant skills embedded throughout your programme of study.

We endeavour to develop curiosity, confidence, courage, ambition and aspiration in all students through the key themes in our Learning and Teaching Strategy:

Student Involvement and Engagement
Inclusion
Integrated Programme and Assessment Experience
Digital Literacy and Skills
Employability and Enterprise

To help you achieve your potential we emphasise learning as a collaborative process, with a range of student-led and real-world activities. This approach ensures that you fully engage in shaping your own learning, developing your critical thinking and reflective skills so that you can identify your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the extensive learning support system we offer to shape your own development.

We believe the secret to great learning and teaching is simple: it is about creating an inclusive learning experience that allows all students to thrive through:

Personalised support
Expert lecturers
Strong connections with employers
An international outlook
Understanding how to use tools and technology to support learning and development

Entry requirements

Leeds Trinity University is committed to recruiting students with talent and potential and who we feel will benefit greatly from their academic and non-academic experiences here. We treat every application on its own merits.

The following information is designed to give you a general overview of the qualifications we accept. If you are taking qualifications that are not included below, please contact our Apprenticeship Student Admin team who will be happy to advise you.

Applicants must:

Under 19 years - Must hold a level 2 qualification in English Language and Maths Grade 4/C or above
19 years and over - there is no requirement to hold a level 2 qualification in English Language and Maths Grade 4/C or above. Students, however, must show ongoing development of these skills throughout the programme.
Provide evidence of the highest achieved qualifications
Be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week in a relevant role and have the support of their employer
Live and have the right to work in England (ID will be requested)
Once a completed evidence pack is received applicants will undertake an initial assessment interview and skills scan with the programme lead to establish their suitability for the apprenticeship

DBS Requirements

Applicants who are offered a place and accept will be contacted regarding the DBS application, which will be completed via an external company.

Fees and finance

Funding

Apprenticeships are fully funded by your employer if their wage bill is over £3 million each year.

The government will fund up to 95% of the apprenticeship’s course fees, up to the relevant funding band, if the organisation has spent all its levy or has an annual wage bill below £3 million each year. Employers who do not pay the apprenticeship levy contribute 5% towards the total cost of the apprenticeship, the ESFA will contribute the other 95% directly to the University. Employers must have an account with the Apprenticeship Service Account to be able to reserve Government funding for an apprenticeship. This reservation ensures that funds will be available to pay for the training from the point the apprenticeship starts.

Read more about how levy payments work at the UK Government website.

Costs of programme

The cost of this apprenticeship programme is £14,000

How to apply

Whether you’re looking to develop your skills with us as an apprentice or you’re an employer looking for more information on using Leeds Trinity University as a training provider, please complete the form below, and we will contact you to discuss your options.

About Leeds Trinity University

Our professional Apprenticeships combine part-time study at Leeds Trinity University with workplace training. We've been providing outstanding provision in higher education for over 50 years and have significant experience of delivering work-based learning programmes. We're proud to offer a personal and inclusive university experience that gives everyone the support they need to realise their potential. Our teaching staff have extensive and relevant professional experience.