Foundation Degree - Nursing Associate (Apprenticeship)

Start date

12 January 2026

15 June 2026

Duration

2 years full-time

About the course

Reasons to study

You’ll hear first-hand experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group to enhance your learning.
You’ll be taught and supported by experienced team who really understand the role of a nursing associate.
You’ll have the opportunity to apply and develop your skills on placement in a range of statutory, private and voluntary services, in order to prepare you to pursue your career.

This apprenticeship course has been designed to enable Healthcare Assistants to become Nursing Associates, in order to bridge the gap in care delivery as identified by the Shape of Caring Review (Willis, 2015). The Nursing Associate role developed by the Department of Health, aims to deliver high quality, holistic, person-centred safe and effective nursing care in and across a wide range of health and care settings.

In line with the apprenticeship model, the course is designed to support a training in practice approach. Whilst undertaking the course you'll remain employed by your host organisation and will spend 60% of your time in your current workplace, 20% of your time will be spent accessing alternative placements and the remaining 20% will be spent undertaking theory work.

This Nursing Associate Apprenticeship Foundation Degree course is a full-time two year undergraduate course consisting of Foundation (Year 1) and Intermediate (Year 2) level study at Framework for Higher Education Qualifications Levels 4 and 5 respectively, which is in keeping with the Framework for Higher Education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2008). The course is designed to be progressively demanding between levels. Once qualified, Nursing Associates will be regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

If you’re thinking of studying an apprenticeship course or are an employer looking for an apprenticeship for your employees, you’ll also find useful information on our Degree Apprenticeship webpages.

Why study Foundation Degree - Nursing Associate (Apprenticeship)

On this course, you’ll learn how to respond to the physical, cognitive, and mental health needs of all patients and service users across their lifespan. You’ll have the opportunity to practice and develop your skills through clinical placements in a range of statutory, private and voluntary services, helping to prepare you to pursue your career.

You’ll be taught and supported by experienced team who really understand the role of a nursing associate. You’ll have the opportunity to learn through face to face and online lectures, seminars, group work, simulation and role play. You’ll also have the opportunity to hear the experiences and viewpoints from service users and carers, who are part of the Public Partnership Group.

The University of Huddersfield has the highest Apprenticeship Qualification Achievement Rate (QAR) among Higher Education Institutions in England.*

Our 2023/24 QAR was 87.6% and coupled with our Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating displays the excellent learning experience for apprentices and their employers at the University of Huddersfield.

*Excludes providers with fewer than 100 apprentices.

Course detail

Year 1

Core modules:

Foundations for Nursing Associates 1 (NMC 2018)

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the foundation knowledge required in relation to policy, professional values and communication. You’ll learn theory and practical skills, enabling you to develop the professional behaviour required as a Trainee Nursing Associate, connected to safety, safeguarding and protection of people of all ages. You’ll also have the opportunity to reflect on the communication skills used in your practice learning experience, policy and professional practice.

Foundations for Nursing Associates 2 (NMC 2018)

You’ll have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and understanding required to care for patients’/service users across the lifespan focusing on physical and mental health needs. You’ll explore normal anatomy and physiology. You’ll also study how to deliver person centred care safely whilst monitoring health and promoting health and wellbeing. Fundamental nursing associate skills will also be practised in our simulation labs, including hand washing, nutrition, basic life support and administration of medication.

Learning to Learn (NMC 2018)

This module provides the opportunity for you to develop the academic skills required to progress in higher education and successfully complete your academic studies. This will include a variety of transferable skills, as well as life-long learning skills and reflective practice. You’ll also learn about essay and report writing, referencing, IT skills and the use of the University search engine in searching for information. You’ll be encouraged to evaluate your strengths, limitations and identify areas for development, as well as be introduced to concepts of research design and the research process.

Nursing Associate Practice 1 (NMC 2018)

This module provides you with the opportunity to gain fundamental skills of nursing associate practice including personal hygiene, infection control and undertaking observations. You’ll complete a practice learning experience, normally in two blocks equivalent to 11 weeks, where you’ll put the theory you’ve learnt into practice. Using the ‘All England Nursing Associate Practice Assessment Document’, you’ll record the standards you’ve achieved and your practice assessor and practice supervisor will document your progress and skills/standards gained.

Year 2

Core modules:

Nursing Associate Concepts and Care Approaches (NMC 2018)

You will further develop your theoretical and clinical knowledge through lectures, procedural clinical skills, and simulation. You will practice the delivery of safe and competent care for patients and service users of all ages with a range of healthcare needs, in our specially designed clinical skills laboratories.

Nursing Associate Practice 2 (NMC 2018)

This module provides the opportunity for you to build and develop your practice skills through completion of a practice learning experience. This is usually undertaken in two blocks equivalent to 11 weeks, where you’ll explore physical, mental and social aspects in the treatment of patients’/service users. Through placement experiences you’ll be required to demonstrate your understanding and ability to link theory and practice. This will involve completing the ‘All England Nursing Associate Practice Assessment Document’ that records the practical outcomes you have achieved and your mentor will document your progress and skills gained.

Professional Development for Nursing Associates (NMC 2018)

Through this module you’ll be encouraged to explore issues of lifelong learning and continuing professional development that underpins registration requirements for Nursing Associates. The module aims to prepare you for your end point assessment (EPA). You’ll also have the opportunity to develop and use a variety of transferable skills including numeracy, literacy, lifelong learning and reflective practice. You’ll be encouraged to evaluate and reflect upon your strengths, limitations and areas for development in order to function effectively as registered practitioners.

Research for Nursing Associates (NMC 2018)

This module provides the opportunity for you to further develop your knowledge of the concepts of research, evidence-based care and audit for service improvement. You’ll continue to develop your skills in literature searching, critical appraisal skills and data analysis, as well as explore how to evaluate published research and the concept of ethics within healthcare research. You’ll also learn about different approaches to research, including quantitative, qualitative, systematic reviews and audits, as well as how they relate to practice.

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are designed to offer Trainee Nursing Associates a variety of learning and assessment opportunities that align with your module learning outcomes and offer realistic and effective preparation for progression to Nursing Associate.

Learning and teaching is delivered through lectures, workshops, seminars, group work, practical experience, simulation and role play, as well as blended and e-learning methods. Your studies will also be supported by the University's virtual learning environment. The course team will ensure that the theory relates to clinical practice through the widespread use of case studies, videos and reflective practice, as well as local service user and carer involvement.

The assessment methods for this course are varied and contemporary, consisting of examinations, written assignments that include essays, reports and case studies. Group and individual presentations along with professionally simulated exams and objective structured clinical examination offer innovative methods that enable the assessment of the Trainee Nursing Associates ability to meet the required competencies and relate theory to practice. You’ll be assessed in practice by practice supervisors and practice assessors.

Throughout the course you’ll also have access to a Personal Development Plan, where you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, construct a record of achievement documenting the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies, as well as reflect and act upon your personal, professional, academic and long-term career goals.

At the end of the course there is an End Point Assessment (EPA), which is integrated into the course and verified at the course assessment board. The purpose of the EPA is to assess the values, skills, knowledge and behaviours of the apprentice as set out in the apprenticeship standard to confirm that the apprentice is occupationally competent.

Teaching excellence

The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.
Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).
We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Global Professional Award

At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

Entry requirements

You must:

Be employed and meet the entry requirements of your employer
Have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English
Complete a Rehabilitation of Offenders form and have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum of IELTS 6.5 with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

You may be eligible to gain accreditation for your prior learning towards this course. Please note that the course you are applying for is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which permits recognition of prior learning that is capable of being mapped to the Standards of proficiency for nursing associates and programme outcomes, up to a maximum of 50% of the programme. This maximum limit of 50% does not apply to applicants to pre-registration nursing associate programmes who are currently a NMC registered nurse without restrictions on their practice.

Ofsted Outstanding courses

The University’s apprenticeship provision was awarded an outstanding rating by Ofsted in a recent inspection.

Huddersfield is only the second university to be awarded Ofsted’s outstanding rating for its apprenticeship provision in the last four years.

It is also the only university in the Yorkshire and Humber region and the north-west of England to have both an outstanding Ofsted rating for apprenticeships and to be a TEF Gold-rated university.

The University was awarded outstanding in all five categories:

Quality of education
Behaviour and attitudes
Personal development
Leadership and management
Apprenticeships

The apprenticeship provision was praised by Ofsted for the positive experiences of the apprentices, the research-informed knowledge of teaching staff, and for the strong relationships between the University’s leaders and employers.

Daphne Steele Building

The University of Huddersfield has officially opened the Daphne Steele Building, the first development on its National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC). Named after Daphne Steele, the trailblazing Guyana-born nurse and the first Black matron in the NHS in 1964, the six-storey building marks a major investment in healthcare education and innovation. This advanced facility aims to improve health outcomes and drive healthcare innovation across the North of England.

The Daphne Steele Building supports the University’s health professional degree programs with cutting-edge facilities, including high-fidelity skills labs and an award-winning podiatry clinic. It also offers quiet study spaces, a student lounge, social areas, and a café. Hosting courses in midwifery, nursing, physiotherapy, paramedic science, occupational therapy, podiatry, and more, the building provides exceptional support for workforce development in the health sector. It serves as a hub for education and innovation, benefiting both regional and wider health economies.

Placements

Placements are a compulsory element of the course where you'll experience 24 hours and 7 day care. You'll spend 60% of your time in your current workplace and 20% in an alternative placement provider, covering a variety of settings and care delivered across the lifespan. Whilst undertaking your clinical placements you'll work alongside qualified supervisors and assessors who will provide any help and support you require.

"Attending placements has provided me with additional knowledge and expanded my experience as a Trainee Nursing Associate. It is very important to understand the knowledge underpinning practice and to enjoy your time on placement."

Vicky Atkinson, Newly qualified Nursing Associate

Facilities

Working together to learn and progress.

Understanding the patient experience.

Learning the theory underpinning clinical skills

Your career

This course provides the opportunity for Healthcare Assistants to become Nursing Associates, in order to bridge the gap in care delivery as identified by the Shape of Caring Review (Willis, 2015).

Professional links and accreditations

This course is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

To qualify for the award of the Foundation Degree you must complete all the course requirements. Only Trainee Nursing Associates who successfully gain 240 credits and complete the End Point Assessment will be eligible to apply for registration as a Nursing Associate and entry to the Professional Register.

Career support

We know you’re coming to university to undertake your course, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

So while you’re here (and even after you graduate) the Careers and Employability Service offer professional help, support and guidance, including industry-supported workshops, careers fairs and one-to-one guidance sessions. Find out more about the Service.

Inspiring Graduate

"I loved the course. It provided the opportunity for me to gain a lot of practical skills, background and theoretical knowledge, as well as work with and support people of all ages across a wide range of healthcare settings. During the course I completed six placements and these opportunities included working in an oncology department, paediatric ward, medical assessment ward, gastroenterology ward, as well as with those with learning disabilities, mental health issues and spinal injuries.

"The course lectures were well presented, and the clinical simulation suites made learning more realistic. My most memorable moment on the course was when I passed my first essay, this was a great achievement."

Helen Peace, completed the Foundation Degree: Nursing Associate (Apprenticeship)

This course is regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Career support

"I loved the course. It provided the opportunity for me to gain a lot of practical skills, background and theoretical knowledge, as well as work with and support people of all ages across a wide range of healthcare settings. During the course I completed six placements and these opportunities included working in an oncology department, paediatric ward, medical assessment ward, gastroenterology ward, as well as with those with learning disabilities, mental health issues and spinal injuries.

"The course lectures were well presented, and the clinical simulation suites made learning more realistic. My most memorable moment on the course was when I passed my first essay, this was a great achievement."

Helen Peace, completed the Foundation Degree: Nursing Associate (Apprenticeship)

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

As an apprentice, there is no tuition fee to pay for the higher or degree apprenticeship. Tuition fees are covered by your employer and the government through the Levy. As you'll be a paid employee, you are not able to take out a student loan.

Are you an employer? You’ll find lots of information about how apprenticeships are funded via the levy on our Degree Apprenticeship webpages.

If you require further information, please contact apprenticeships@hud.ac.uk

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

Are you an employer? You’ll find lots of information about how apprenticeships are funded via the levy on our Degree Apprenticeship webpages.

If you require further information, please contact apprenticeships@hud.ac.uk

Important information

When you enrol as an apprentice learner of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and our disciplinary procedure. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you'll be asked to agree to them when you join us as an apprentice. You'll find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you'll also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

Changes to a course you have applied for but not yet started

If we propose to make a major change to an apprenticeship course that you have applied for, then we will tell you and your employer as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment.

Although we always try and run all the courses we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or delay your course start date if we consider this reasonably necessary, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you and your employer as soon as reasonably possible. In such instances, we will work with you and your employer to agree a deferred start date, or cancel your application and, if appropriate, provide information regarding other local apprenticeship providers.

Changes to your course after you enrol as an apprentice

We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that materially changes the services available to you, or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days, classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum.

For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the requirements of an updated version of the apprenticeship standard relevant to your course; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered or claiming an interim award and exiting the University.

If a major change affects your course, we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible and will carry out suitable consultation with affected apprentices. If you and your employer reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment we will work with both of you to try to find an appropriate solution. Where one cannot be found we will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring your remaining apprenticeship learning to another training provider if you and your employer wish to do so.

Termination of employment

As your employer is funding your apprenticeship course, you must remain in relevant employment for the duration of the course until you have completed your end point assessment. Under the apprenticeship rules, if you are made redundant and you have completed 75% of the practical period or have less than 6 months left, then you may complete the course. Otherwise, unless you find alternative relevant employment within 12 weeks of the date you are made redundant, then you'll be withdrawn from the course.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University. The ESFA is the principal regulator for your apprenticeship course.