FDSc Nursing Associate Degree Apprenticeship

Fees and funding

There are many ways to fund study for home and international students

Fees

The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:

• library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
• access to programme-appropriate software
• library and student IT support
• free on-campus wifi via eduroam

Additional costs

Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:

• accommodation and living expenditure
• books (should you wish to have your own copies)
• printing, photocopying and stationery
• PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
• mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
• field trips (travel and activity costs)
• placements (travel expenses and living costs)
• student visas (international students only)
• study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
• academic conferences (travel costs)
• professional-body membership
• graduation (gown hire etc)

Funding

There are many ways to fund study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you'll find all of the information you need on our specialist funding pages.

Degree Apprenticeships are funded courses, with learning costs being paid to the university by the employer, through the Degree Apprenticeship levy, if a large company, or with the help of the government’s co-investment model, if a smaller company.

If you aren’t already employed by a company that is willing to sponsor you through an apprenticeship, you’ll need to find one. You can do this by regularly checking the Government’s Find an apprenticeship website.

You can also approach an employer yourself to find out whether they would be interested in offering Degree Apprenticeships and ask them to contact us. Our team will be able to explain to them how they can access the correct funding and the next steps.

Information for potential employers

If an employer has a wage bill of over £3 million, it would automatically pay the Government levy and would use this to fund learning via the company Apprenticeship Service Account.

Non- Levy companies can access funding via the Government co-investment model, whereby the Government will fund 95% of the learning costs and the company will fund the remaining 5%.

To access the Government funds, non-levy paying employers are required to set up an account on the Apprenticeship Service and reserve funding for apprentices, no earlier than three months before the course start date.  Information regarding setting up an account can be found here. LJMU will still invoice non-levy paying companies for their contribution, but without this account LJMU will be unable to draw down the Government co-investment funding for the apprentices. 

Employability

Employability and career development

Following successful completion of the programme learners will be able to gain employment as a Nursing Associate in a variety of settings. There is also the opportunity for registered Nursing Associates to enter year 2 of a BSc Pre-registration Nursing Programme in their chosen field of Adult/Children's/mental Health or Learning Disabilities Nursing) 

Student Futures - Careers, Employability and Enterprise Service

A wide range of opportunities and support is available to you, within and beyond your course, to ensure our students experience a transformation in their career trajectory. Every undergraduate curriculum includes Future Focus during Level 4, an e-learning resource and workshop designed to help you to develop your talents, passion and purpose.

Every student has access to Careers Zone 24/7, LJMU's suite of online Apps, resources and jobs board via the LJMU Student Futures website. There are opportunities for flexible, paid and part-time work through Unitemps, LJMU's in-house recruitment service, and we also offer fully funded Discovery Internships.

One-to-one careers and employability advice is available via our campus-based Careers Zones and we offer a year-round programme of events, including themed careers and employability workshops, employer events and recruitment fairs. Our Start-Up Hub can help you to grow your enterprise skills and to research, plan and start your own business or become a freelancer.

A suite of learning experiences, services and opportunities is available to final year students to help ensure you leave with a great onward plan. You can access LJMU's Careers, Employability and Start-up Services after you graduate and return for one-to-one support for life.

Teaching and work-related learning

Excellent facilities and learning resources

The programme utilises a variety of teaching and learning approaches that are designed to engage and inspire apprentice learners. These include lectures, seminars, group work activities, simulation and tutorials. LJMU’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2023-2030 has guided the programme delivery to ensure that learners develop and utilise progressively higher level academic skills throughout the modules, as well as subject specific knowledge and skills as they become inquiring and confident apprenticeship learners.

The range of learning and teaching strategies that are applied across the programme seek to develop and foster independence in the acquisition of knowledge and facilitate the application of theoretical knowledge. Learners will therefore:

• Be enabled in acquiring knowledge through supported on-the-job learning. This will include being directed to scholarly activities that will prepare them for scheduled teaching activity that is provided directly by members of staff in real time, either face-to-face or synchronous online. This may take the form of lectures, seminars, tutorials and webcasts.  
• Be supported in engaging in online asynchronous activity. Examples include asynchronous tutorial discussions, tutor-facilitated discussion boards, and tutor-facilitated collaborative or individual projects such as wikis, padlets, blogs and e-portfolios. While they may not be present at the same times as the learners, academic staff actively, iteratively, and directly engage with learners to facilitate and guide learning, and are visible, engaged and active in the virtual learning environment and will contain an activity which contributes towards the development of the Knowledge Skills and Behaviours (KSB’s).
• Consolidate theoretical learning in the practice learning environment whilst being supported and assessed by practice supervisors and assessors and academic assessors as per the requirements of the NMC Standards for Supervision and Assessment (2023).

Support and guidance

Dedicated personal tutor, plus study skills support

All apprentice learners will commence their programme of study with a timetabled induction period. The primary purpose of this induction period will be to foster a sense of community and identity and to enhance their readiness and develop peer support networks for learning before the programmes begin. The importance of group support and the availability of a range of university-wide support services for all apprentice learners will ensure that individuals are aware of the diverse range of support mechanisms available to them for the duration of their programme and beyond. This includes health and wellbeing services, learning support and the careers service who can support their transition into employability and professional life.

LJMU has a range of support mechanisms that support apprentice learners in making the transition to higher education and subsequently across academic levels of study. At programme level, transition year two of study will commence prior to the end of the previous year. Specifically, there will be a focus on empowering apprentice learners to identify their own individual needs relating to both theory and practice. The academic assessor, personal and tripartite tutor will be key to the transition process in offering both academic and pastoral support and helping apprentice learners to identify their individual goals for the forthcoming year.

Apprentice learners have access to the programme team, Personal Tutors, Practice Supervisors, Practice Assessors, Academic Assessors, Cohort Leads and Lecturers in Practice Learning for guidance in their learning throughout the course of their programme. Working together, in their distinct roles this team provide a coherent structure of support with open channels of communication, to provide support and help apprentice learners achieve in both theory and practice. 

Assessment

Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, but will usually include a combination of exams and coursework.

Learners will usually undertake one assessment for every theoretical module. Assessment methods will be authentic to practice to demonstrate knowledge and competency, and replicate or further advance of ‘real-world’ tasks that learners are expected to experience in their professional careers.

Formative assessment will take place both within the theoretical module delivery and learning environment. To prepare for theoretical assessment apprentice learners will be given the opportunity to practice the appropriate skills that relate to the variety of assessment methods that are utilised throughout the programme. This will enable them to adequately prepare for written, verbal, practical and examination forms of assessment in each year of study.

Entry requirements

Please choose your qualifications below to view requirements

Grades/points required from qualifications:

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU Degree Apprenticeship form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.

If you aren’t already employed by a company or a Trust that is willing to sponsor you through an apprenticeship, you’ll need to find one. You can do this by regularly checking the Government’s Find an apprenticeship website.  

You can also approach an employer yourself to find out whether they would be interested in offering Degree Apprenticeships and ask them to contact us. Our team will be able to explain to them how they can access the correct funding and the next steps.

Just like any other job application, you’ll go through a recruitment process with the employer. Check out our interview tips to help you prepare for your Degree Apprenticeship interview. You’ll also need to meet the entry requirements to attend Liverpool John Moores University just like any other student. To do this, find your course and make sure you meet the requirements of the particular course associated with your Degree Apprenticeship.

To apply for a Degree Apprenticeship course complete the online application form.

Once you have applied you are required to complete and return a skills scan document that is automatically sent to you upon receipt of your application.  The skills scan enables the programme team to carry out an initial assessment of the knowledge, skills and behaviors (KSBs) that you have acquired through your previous experience and study.

Following consideration of your skills scan, you and your employer contact will be invited to attend a meeting with the Programme Leader to further discuss the requirements of the apprenticeship, including the KSBs set out within the applicable Apprenticeship Standard.

If your application is successful, you’ll enter into an employment/apprenticeship contract with your employer which will set out the obligations of all parties involved in the apprenticeship.