SECTOR Health & Social Care
Health & Social Care
Work that matters, with a clear ladder to climb.
The NHS and social care employers recruit tens of thousands of apprentices a year, from healthcare support workers up to fully registered nurses.
The route is genuinely open-ended: you can start at level 2 with no qualifications and, with an employer behind you, end up a registered nurse or paramedic without ever paying tuition fees.
10 Trades in this sector
Adult Care Worker
Support adults to live well — in their own homes, in supported living or in residential care.
- Pay
- £23.5k–£30k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1 year
Ambulance Support Worker
Crew ambulances and patient transport, treating and moving patients under pressure.
- Pay
- £26k–£34k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 1 year
Dental Nurse
Work chairside supporting the dentist, and qualify while you earn with no university route needed.
- Pay
- £25k–£35k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2 years
Dental Technician
Make the crowns, dentures, bridges and braces that dentists fit — precision craft work in a laboratory.
- Pay
- £27k–£42k
- Level
- L5
- Train
- 3 years
Healthcare Support Worker
Hands-on patient care in hospitals and the community — the widest open door into the NHS.
- Pay
- £24.5k–£30k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1 year
Nursing Associate
A registered role in its own right, and the bridge between support work and registered nursing.
- Pay
- £27k–£33k
- Level
- L5
- Train
- 2 years
Optical Assistant
Help people see properly — frame fitting, measurements and pre-screening on the high street.
- Pay
- £23k–£32k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 15 months
Pharmacy Technician
Prepare, check and supply medicines in community pharmacies and hospitals — a registered professional role.
- Pay
- £26k–£38k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2 years
Registered Nurse (Degree Apprenticeship)
Become a fully registered nurse while employed and paid — no tuition fees, no student loan.
- Pay
- £29k–£46k
- Level
- L6
- Train
- 4 years
Veterinary Nurse
Care for animals through surgery, treatment and recovery as a registered veterinary nurse.
- Pay
- £25k–£35k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years