Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship: How It Works

An occupational therapy degree apprenticeship is a way to qualify as an occupational therapist in England while being employed and paid. You work for a health or care employer, usually an NHS trust or a council, and study for an approved occupational therapy degree at a university at the same time. Your employer gives you time for study and placements, and the training is paid for through apprenticeship funding rather than by you.

When you finish, you hold the same degree as someone who studied full time, and you can apply to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to register. Only then can you call yourself an occupational therapist. It usually takes around four years, places are competitive, and most go to people who already work in health or social care. Often that means support workers and therapy assistants who have spent years watching qualified OTs and thinking: I could do that.

If that is you, this guide explains how the route works, what it asks of you, and how to find one.

What a degree apprenticeship actually is

An apprenticeship in England is a real job with training built in. A degree apprenticeship is the same idea at university level. You are an employee with a contract, a wage and annual leave, and you are also a registered university student working towards a degree.

For occupational therapy, the degree has to be one the HCPC has approved, because that is what makes you eligible to register. Most programmes are also accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. The apprenticeship is built around a national standard that sets out what a newly qualified occupational therapist must know and be able to do, so the content is not a watered-down version of the full-time course. You cover the same anatomy, psychology, theory, assessment and intervention skills, and you are assessed against the same professional standards.

The difference is how you get there. Instead of three years on campus with placements slotted in, you learn over a longer period, partly at university, partly in your own workplace and partly on placements elsewhere.

What working while studying looks like

Every employer and university arranges this slightly differently, but the pattern is broadly the same.

• University study. Usually a set day a week, or blocks of teaching, sometimes with a mix of online and on-campus sessions. Expect lectures, seminars, practical skills sessions, reading and written assignments.
• Protected learning time. Apprenticeship rules require a portion of your paid working hours to be set aside for off-the-job training. The exact rules have changed over the years, so check the current position on GOV.UK and in your apprenticeship agreement.
• Your normal job. The rest of the week you work in your usual role, ideally with growing responsibility as your skills develop.
• Practice placements. You still have to complete supervised practice placements, and these normally need to be in different settings from your day job. A hospital rehab assistant might do a placement in a community mental health team, a school or a council housing team.

Be honest with yourself about the workload. You will be writing essays after shifts, revising on days off and juggling placements with home life. People with caring responsibilities and young children do complete these programmes, but it helps to have a frank conversation at home before you apply.

Employer sponsorship: who pays and what they expect

You cannot simply sign up for an apprenticeship as an individual. An employer has to offer the place, employ you and agree to support you. In England the training costs are covered through apprenticeship funding, which large employers pay into and smaller employers can draw on. You do not pay for the training yourself.

What employers want in return is reasonable: that you stick at it, that you turn up to university and placements, and ideally that you stay and work for them once you qualify. Some guarantee a qualified post at the end, some do not. Before you accept, ask:

• Is there a qualified occupational therapy post for me when I finish, or is that not promised?
• Who will be my workplace mentor, and are they a registered occupational therapist?
• How will study days and placements be covered on the rota?
• What is my pay during the apprenticeship, and does it change as I progress?
• What happens if I need to pause, for example for illness or caring responsibilities?

Pay varies by employer. Some keep apprentices on their existing support worker pay, others use a specific apprentice rate. The job advert or your employer's HR team should tell you. If you are told something different from what is in writing, go with what is in writing.

Entry requirements, in general terms

There are two sets of requirements: the employer's and the university's. You need to meet both.

Universities usually ask for evidence that you can cope with degree-level study. That might be A levels, an Access to Higher Education diploma, a previous degree, or other recognised qualifications. Many also look for GCSE English and maths, and sometimes science, at a set grade or an equivalent. Some universities consider relevant work experience alongside qualifications, especially for applicants who left school a long time ago. Requirements differ, so read each university's entry criteria rather than relying on anyone's general advice, including ours.

Employers tend to look for:

• Experience in a health, social care or therapy role, often a minimum length of time in post.
• A clear understanding of what occupational therapy is, and why you want to do it rather than nursing or physiotherapy.
• Support from your manager and the therapy team.
• The values the NHS and social care expect, such as respect, compassion and reliability.

You will also need the usual checks for working with patients, such as an enhanced DBS check and occupational health clearance. Interviews often include values-based questions and sometimes a short written task.

How long it takes and how it ends

Occupational therapy degree apprenticeships typically take around four years. Master's level routes for people who already have a degree are often shorter, and any programme can take longer if you need to pause. Your university and employer will give you the exact timescale for your programme.

Every apprenticeship ends with an end-point assessment. Before it, your employer and university confirm you are ready, sometimes called the gateway. For integrated health degree apprenticeships, the end-point assessment is usually built into the final stage of the degree, so finishing the degree and passing the assessment go together. Ask your university exactly how theirs works.

Passing the degree does not make you an occupational therapist on its own. You then apply to the HCPC to join the register. "Occupational therapist" is a protected title in the UK, which means it is against the law to use it unless you are registered. Once registered, you keep your registration by renewing it, meeting the HCPC's standards and keeping your skills up to date throughout your career.

If you live in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland

The apprenticeship system described here is England's. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each run their own apprenticeship schemes, and occupational therapy routes there more often look like employer-supported part-time or work-based degrees than formal degree apprenticeships, so check with your health board, trust or local universities about what is currently offered where you live.

How to find an occupational therapy apprenticeship

Start with your own employer

This is where most places come from. Many NHS trusts and councils advertise apprenticeships internally first, to staff they already know. Tell your manager and the lead occupational therapist that you are interested well before any advert appears. Ask whether the organisation offers OT apprenticeships, when they usually recruit and what would strengthen your application. Your trust's education, workforce or practice development team usually knows what is planned.

NHS Jobs and the government apprenticeship service

External adverts appear on NHS Jobs and on the government's Find an apprenticeship service on GOV.UK. Search for occupational therapy apprentice and set up alerts. Councils, social enterprises and some private health providers also advertise through their own careers pages.

University partners

Universities that run occupational therapy apprenticeships list their employer partners or explain how to get an employer to sponsor you. Contacting the course team can tell you which local employers recruit and when. Be aware the university cannot give you a place without an employer.

Getting ready while you wait

Recruitment can be once a year or less. Use the time well. Ask to shadow occupational therapists in other teams, keep a note of what you learn, and if you lack a qualification the university asks for, start working towards it. Reading plain explanations such as what occupational therapy is and the different types of occupational therapy can help you explain the breadth of the profession at interview.

Apprenticeship or full-time degree: the honest comparison

In favour of the apprenticeship

• You keep earning. For many people with rent, mortgages or families, that is the only way qualifying is possible.
• No student debt for tuition. The training is funded through the apprenticeship.
• You learn alongside real work. Theory makes more sense when you see it on the ward or in someone's home the next day.
• A likely job at the end. Many employers train apprentices to fill their own vacancies.

Against, or at least worth thinking about

• Places are limited and competitive. You may wait a year or more, and you need an employer willing to back you.
• It takes longer. Around four years rather than three for most full-time undergraduate courses.
• It is tiring. Work, study and placements together leave little slack, and you get employee annual leave rather than student holidays.
• You may be tied to one employer's work. Placements broaden this, but your day job shapes your experience.
• Less flexibility to move. Relocating mid-programme is difficult because the place depends on your employer.

A full-time degree can suit you better if you have no employer able to sponsor you, want to qualify faster, or want the freedom to choose any university in the country. Full-time healthcare students in England may also be able to get extra financial support through the NHS Learning Support Fund; check the current rules with the NHS Business Services Authority.

Where occupational therapists fit, and whether it is the right profession for you

Occupational therapists help people do the everyday things that matter to them when illness, injury, disability or age gets in the way. That can mean a child struggling with handwriting and dressing, an adult relearning to cook after a stroke, someone with severe depression rebuilding a daily routine, or an older person who wants to stay safely at home. To see the practical side, read what an occupational therapist does on a home visit or look at how OTs work with families on our children's occupational therapy page.

It is worth being clear about what OTs are not. If what draws you is exercise, strength and movement, physiotherapy may suit you better. If it is communication or swallowing, that is speech and language therapy. If you want to give medication, dress wounds and manage clinical care, that is nursing. Each has its own degree and, in many cases, its own apprenticeship route. Talk to people in each profession before you commit four years.

Once qualified, occupational therapists work in hospitals, community teams, mental health services, schools, councils, prisons, workplaces and in independent practice, where some visit people at home. Most people start in the NHS or social care and some move into independent work later, often after years of experience in a specialism.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do an occupational therapy degree apprenticeship if I am not already working in healthcare?

Sometimes, but it is harder. Some employers advertise externally for new starters, though most prefer people with relevant experience. If you are coming from another field, getting a support worker or therapy assistant job first is often the most realistic way in.

Is the qualification the same as a normal occupational therapy degree?

Yes. The degree must be approved by the HCPC, and once you pass and register you are an occupational therapist in exactly the same way as someone who studied full time. Nobody's registration says how they trained.

What if I already have a degree in another subject?

Some universities offer shorter or master's level routes for graduates, and some of these can be taken as apprenticeships. Availability varies, so ask local universities and your employer what they offer.

Do I still have to do placements outside my job?

Yes. To qualify you need supervised practice in a range of settings, not just the one you work in. Your employer and university arrange these, and they can mean travelling or working different hours for a while.

What happens if I fail a module or need to stop for a while?

Universities have rules for resits and breaks in study, and apprenticeships can usually be paused for good reasons such as illness. Speak to your university tutor and your employer early. Problems are far easier to manage before they become a crisis.

Can I work independently straight after qualifying?

Legally you can once you are registered, but most people spend several years in the NHS or social care first, building experience with supervision. Independent practice means working without a team around you, so it suits experienced therapists best.

Next steps

If you are still deciding, read our home assessment page to see the kind of work occupational therapists do in people's homes. If you are already HCPC registered and working independently, see our join page, and choose your area below to see which occupational therapists already work near you.