Nursing Associate Apprenticeship

We have planned a comprehensive and engaging Welcome Week, and your attendance is essential to ensure you are fully inducted into all aspects of the programme and the facilities available to you.

During Welcome Week, you will be introduced to your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who will take time to get to know you and outline their role and responsibilities. The PAT relationship is integral to your academic journey, serving as a key point of contact between the University and your employer.

Occupational Health, DBS & Placement Preparation

Please ensure that you engage with all Occupational Health, DBS or Placement planning activities required by the Admissions Team. Failure to complete this by the time you register on the course may result in you not being able to proceed with your studies.

We are proud to be an inclusive University that supports a diverse community of students. Please note that if you have a disability or would like to learn more about the support that we can offer to students, please visit the Disability and Mental Health website.

Placement Information

InPlace

Once your first placement has been allocated, you will automatically receive an email with instructions on how to sign in to InPlace and access your placement information.

ePAD

Before your first placement, you will attend an ePAD training session delivered by your course team. During this session, you will learn how to sign in to ePAD and use the system to complete your placement documentation.

Occupational Health

You will need to complete Occupational Health Clearance via your employer. If you have any questions, please contact your employer directly

Uniform 

On placement, you will be required to wear a uniform as part of your Readiness for Practice. Important information regarding your uniform can be found on the uniform policy.

Your uniform is provided to you free of charge and is expected to last you the duration of your course.

You will be allocated a specific period during which you can order your placement uniform. Uniform ordering is staggered by course, so you may notice that students on other courses are invited to order before you. Please be assured that we will be in touch as soon as it is time for you to place your uniform order. 

After 7 September 2026, the Placement Management Team will email you with instructions on how to place your uniform order before your first placement.

The email will be sent to your CCCU student email account, so it's important that you activate your account as soon as you receive the "Create your CCCU computing account" email. This is usually sent to the email address you used when applying, within 24 hours of receiving your invitation to register.

Before you can order your uniform

You must:

• Receive your invitation to register.
• Activate your CCCU computing account
• Complete your online registration.

Once these steps are complete, you'll receive further instructions from the Placement Management Team when it's time to order your uniform.

Placement Badge  

On placement you will be required to wear a placement badge, which will have your course title and preferred first name obtained from your MyRecord account. This placement badge is provided to you free of charge. You will be supplied with your placement badge once you have started your course. Please note, this is not your student ID card. 

In your first semester, you will complete two core modules:

• Academic and Work-Based Learning
• Professional Practice for Nursing Associates.

These modules provide a strong foundation for your apprenticeship, supporting your academic development and professional practice. They are designed to prepare you for the programme and to help you understand how modules are structured and delivered throughout the course.

During Welcome Week, you will be introduced to Blackboard, the University’s online learning platform. Blackboard provides access to key learning materials, module information, and resources essential to your academic success.

In the early weeks of the programme, you will also be introduced to the online apprenticeship platform APTEM. This system is used to record your off-the-job training hours and academic progress. APTEM is accessible to both you and your employer, enabling your employer to monitor progress and provide required comments and confirmations.

If you have time before you start the course, we encourage you to visit the Learning Skills Hub as there are a number of modules you can work through to help prepare for starting University.

We would encourage you to read the following before Welcome Week:

• The Nursing and Midwifery Council – Standards for Nursing Associates
• The Study Skills Handbook – Stella Cottrell
• Developing Academic Skills for Nursing Associates – Cariona Flaherty