The government has announced plans to scrap funding for postgraduate apprenticeships, which will mean that many higher apprenticeships would have to be completely paid for by employers. The announcement has prompted criticism from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The Secretary of State for Education stated that funding for Level 7 Apprenticeships will be removed for people aged 22 or older from January 2026.
Responding to the news, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger, said: “The announcement from the Education Secretary not only shuts off an important career route for staff but also undermines the government’s own ambition to shift care from hospitals to the community. Making it more difficult for employers to fund training and education for advanced clinical specialist nursing roles makes little sense.
“Many employers depend on the apprenticeship levy to fund leadership, specialist and advanced nursing education. Without this funding, employers will not be able to cover the costs and even more critical nursing roles, in areas such as community, district and mental health nursing, will be left unfilled.
“If the UK Government wants to transform care and address the nursing workforce crisis, restricting the ability of people to become advanced clinical specialists and leaders is the last thing it should be doing.”
