To find out more about how the Royal College of Occupational Therapists support with apprenticeships, please click on the link below.
Occupational therapy degree apprenticeships in England | RCOT
From 2026 Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be working in partnership with University of Winchester to provide employed staff the opportunity to apply for a place on the Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship programme:
This is a three year, Level 6 programme which consists of work-based learning, academic study, and practice placements.
On completion of the programme you will hold a BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy and be eligible to register to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an Occupational Therapist and apply for a Band 5 vacancy within the trust.
For more information please read the following documents about the Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship.
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship - University of Winchester
University of Winchester Fact Sheet
The minimum entry requirements are set by the Trust and the education providers we work with.
Education requirements
All applicants must have 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade C/4 or above to include Maths and English.
A GCSE (or equivalent) in a science related subject (including Social Sciences) is preferable.
A-Levels: 96 UCAS points or non UCAS equivalent
O-Level/GCSE: English Language and Mathematics at grade 4/C or Level 2 Education. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative.
BTEC/CTEC: 3 x M OR 2 x D from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications. National Extended Certificate/ Foundation Diploma/ Technical Diploma/ Extended Diplomas in Applied Science.
International Baccalaureate: 96 UCAS tariff points. To include a minimum of grade 5 in Standard or Higher level English and Maths.
T Level: Pass in a T Level in Health, Healthcare Science or Science
Other relevant non-UK qualifications, such as Irish FETAC/QQI pre-nursing courses will be considered subject to NARIC checks.
All entry requirements must be in place prior to applying.
To check your qualifications and UCAS points you can use the calculator below.
https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Have Digital Literacy i.e. ability to:
Send and receive emails,
Find, evaluate, utilise and share information accessed online
Use different online resources to help you study remotely.
For those who do not meet the academic entry requirements but have 5 years clinical experience please reach out to the Learning Environment Team to discuss this further.
Other requirements:
Where possible you should have the support and agreement from your team lead who will be asked to complete a statement of support. If, as part of the recruitment process, it is not possible to remain within the current service then this will be addressed on an individual basis.
You must be working in a substantive Therapy assistant, Therapy practitioner or Health Care Support Worker (HCSW) role within the trust and have been employed within the trust for a minimum of six months before applying and having completed your probationary period for your current role.
For the duration of the Occupational Therapy apprenticeship, you will need to be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
Funding:
Non-UK nationals are eligible for funding if:
You have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for at least the previous 3-year period on the first day of Nursing apprenticeship.
Your ordinary residence in the UK and Islands has not during any part of that period been wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education; and
Have permission granted by the UK government to live in the UK and such permission is not for education purposes only'
Visa Requirement:
You must hold a valid visa that covers the full duration of the apprenticeship programme.
Applications for 2026 are now open and will close on 12th June 2026. Please ensure you;
1. Complete AHP apprenticeship application form.
2. Send relevant certificates to Learning Environment team along with application form.
3. Read and sign expectations document.
4. HHFT OT apprenticeship poster.
