Information for employers
Attract new staff or develop existing employees in surgical theatres with our Operating Department Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship: a cost-effective way to develop the dynamic theatre team you need.
This apprenticeship will suit highly motivated and enthusiastic people who have a specialist interest in the care of surgical patients. This highly practical course will develop their clinical skills in live settings. They will learn to take responsibility for a patient’s all-round welfare and assess their journey through the surgical environment. They will learn to work as a safe and competent member of a multidisciplinary theatre team within current legal, ethical and professional boundaries.
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 Operating Department Practitioner 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 your organisation is 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 Operating Department Practitioner 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.
“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 BottiglieriRoyal Papworth NHS Foundation Trust
“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 WherrettDirector of Workforce, Cambridge University Hospitals
Successful completion will enable your apprentice to apply for professional registration as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
The course combines online learning and activities from sector specialists and practitioners, with a series of face-to-face workshops from our academic team. This blend of online and face-to-face learning fosters a collaborative and supportive programme, augmented by online discussions and critical reflection and analysis under the guidance of experienced tutors.
20% of their learning will be classed as ‘off the job’, which means that they'll be learning during normal working hours either in their place of work or outside – but not part of their normal working duties.
As an employer your organisation/trust 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.
Our dedicated apprenticeship team is on hand to help you attract the best candidates for your organisation. We can help with:
Our consultants will also be happy to support you in determining the suitability of the candidates you receive.
If you'd like to know more about the apprenticeship, have a current employee in mind or are thinking of recruiting an apprentice for your business, our designated team of experts are here to support you at every step. Get in touch today.