Who is this apprenticeship for?
As an employer, you want to build a strong physiotherapy team – now and for the future. This degree apprenticeship can help you do that. It’s ideal for both new recruits and current staff who want to become registered physiotherapists.
The course has been created by physiotherapists, in partnership with NHS Trusts and service users. It reflects real clinical practice and supports a more inclusive workforce that better represents local communities.
By supporting a physiotherapy apprentice, you're not just investing in your team – you're helping shape a skilled and diverse workforce that meets local needs.
Capabilities to better your business
- Strengthen and develop existing staff, emerging talent or new recruits into competent professional physiotherapists
- Apprentices learn from expert academics and industry professionals, equipping them with the full range of knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to your organisation
- You’ll have the opportunity to instil your organisation’s culture, procedures, systems and working style from an early stage
- Reinvest your Levy funds to cover the cost of training or part finance through government funding
A cost-effective way to develop and retain talent
Degree apprenticeships are a smart investment. You can reinvest Apprenticeship Levy funds to cover the cost of the apprenticeship or receive funding support from the government.
If you operate in England and your annual payroll is over £3 million, you pay a levy of 0.5% of your payroll into a levy account.
The cost of the Physiotherapy programme for levy paying employers is £24,000 and this can be covered in full using the non-refundable funds in your levy account. If you exhaust the funds in your levy account, then the government will pay 95% of the outstanding fees and you will need to pay the remaining 5%.
If you are an SME, not required to pay the levy, you will pay only 5% of the cost of the apprenticeship programme while the government pays the remaining 95%. The cost of the of the Physiotherapy programme for non-levy paying employers is just £1,200.
For more about the Apprenticeship Levy, and to find out about any additional incentive payments for hiring a new apprentice from the government, please visit the key information section on our Degree apprenticeships for employers page.
Our team of dedicated consultants can talk you through the detail.
Don't just take our word for it..
Tony Bottiglieri
“Our experience of ARU healthcare apprenticeships is that staff exit with the quality and diversity of skills and knowledge required for contemporary healthcare practice.”
Tony Bottiglieri
Royal Papworth NHS Foundation Trust
David Wherrett
“We value and advocate apprenticeships as they offer an excellent opportunity to earn whilst you learn and enables us to develop, grow and nurture a skilled workforce.”
David Wherrett
Director of Workforce, Cambridge University Hospitals
Delivered by experts, blending online and face-to-face learning
At least 20% of your apprentice’s contracted hours will be off-the-job learning. This protected time builds the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to succeed as a physiotherapist and doesn’t involve their normal work duties.
Learning is delivered through a mix of:
- Face-to-face workshops
- Online, lecturer-led sessions and activities
- Practical learning experiences in their usual work setting
Each trimester begins with a three-day teaching block, followed by weekly university study days.
To meet HCPC registration requirements, apprentices must complete 1,000 hours of clinical placement. These full-time placements are an essential part of the course and count towards off-the-job training. They’re built into the training plan, and some travel may be required to ensure a broad and varied experience.
What are the entry requirements?
As an employer your authority sets out the person specifications for the role, but the apprentice will need to meet our entry requirements to be accepted onto the course. You can view the full entry requirements on our apprentice course page.
Our team of dedicated consultants can talk you through the detail.
