- The North East and Yorkshire is eligible for funding for nursing degree apprenticeships
- 2,000 new nursing degree apprenticeships will be available across England, prioritising areas with the greatest need
- Providers of NHS services in the North East and Yorkshire will be able to apply for a share of a £65.4 million government funding package
- Apprentices earn a salary while they train, helping to break down barriers to a career in nursing and enabling people to qualify closer to home.
More people across the North East and Yorkshire will get the opportunity to train as a nurse as part of the government’s commitment to fund more nurse degree apprenticeships and break down long-standing barriers into healthcare careers.
Announced on International Nurses Day (12 May), the North East and Yorkshire is set to benefit from a share of a £65.4 million package for 2,000 nurse degree apprenticeships over the next three years. The funding will be focused on the areas with the greatest training shortages and highest levels of deprivation, offering more people the chance to kickstart their nursing careers.
In 2024/25, 132 nursing degree apprentices were recruited across the North East and Yorkshire. This additional funding will enable NHS service providers in the North East and Yorkshire to train more nurses.
Nurse degree apprenticeships allow people to ‘earn as they learn’, helping to break down barriers to traditional nurse training and enabling people to train closer to their home.
David Purdue, Regional Chief Nurse for NHS North East and Yorkshire, said:
Nursing apprenticeships will enable more people across the North East and Yorkshire to qualify as nurses while earning, boosting our local workforce and supporting patient care delivery. This practical route will help ensure we have more skilled nurses to provide the high-quality care our patients rely on.
Minister of State for Health (Secondary Care) Karin Smyth said:
Nurses are the backbone of the NHS, supporting us both physically and emotionally through our most vulnerable moments. But becoming a nurse shouldn’t be determined by where you live. That’s why we are committed to growing the nursing workforce, especially in the areas of the country with greatest need, recognising their vital role in delivering the NHS reform set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.
We’re unlocking an extra 2,000 additional nursing degree apprenticeships across the country in the areas that need them the most, including the North East and Yorkshire. This will give more people the chance to start a rewarding career in nursing through an earn-while-you-learn route.
Apprenticeships break down financial barriers and support social mobility, while building the skilled nursing workforce the NHS needs to deliver care closer to home.
The additional nursing apprenticeships are part of wider measures to bolster the NHS workforce by creating more opportunities for thousands of aspiring health professionals across the country. This will form part of a package of measures aimed at training more staff, modernising skills and recruitment, and shifting care out of hospitals and into local communities so patients can access timely care closer to home.
Applications for funding will open later this year.
Through its 10 Year Health Plan for England, the government is ensuring the health service has the strong, diverse workforce that is critical to building an NHS fit for the future. Nursing and nurses are an essential part of this. They’re a critical part of the workforce, leading on patient experience and outcomes. A thriving NHS workforce is crucial to building a health service fit for the future.
Apprentices recruited in 2024/25
- Suffolk and Norfolk – 108
- Devon – 97
- Birmingham and Solihull – 71
- Lancashire and South Cumbria – 57
- Kent and Medway – 57
- Cheshire and Merseyside – 55
- Lincolnshire – 48
- Bristol, North Somerset and S. Gloucestershire – 47
- Humber and North Yorkshire – 42
- North East and North Cumbria – 40
- Greater Manchester – 34
- South Yorkshire – 32
- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly – 25
- Black Country – 22
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – 20
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent – 20
- West Yorkshire – 18
- Derby and Derbyshire – 16
- Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin – 14
