DEVON looks set to be able to secure more nurses as part of a national apprenticeship initiative aimed at bolstering their ranks.

The government has outlined a £65 million package over three years for 2,000 nurses across the country, and local health organisations will be able to bid for the money to support individuals who want to pursue a career in nursing.

Last year, 97 nursing degree apprentices were recruited in Devon, and the new funding that has been announced is aimed at areas with the greatest training shortages and highest levels of deprivation.

Karin Smyth, a health and social care minister, said the scheme would “both help people enter the profession and climb the ladder” if they already worked in lower level healthcare roles.

“People can start off on the apprenticeship, meaning it is great for young people, but we have also had people change careers via the scheme into nursing, from the likes of teaching, for instance,” Ms Smyth told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She added that the apprenticeships were important for employers in retaining staff.

“Healthcare organisations are always looking to upskill their staff, as once you’ve recruited them, you want to keep them and give them opportunities,” she said.

“Retaining people is really important as trying to recruit new workers is expensive.”

The government’s ‘find a job’ website states there are 41 registered nursing jobs in Devon at present.

Recent reports have suggested that some newly qualified nurses have been unable to secure roles at a Devon hospital despite passing their interviews due to the precarious financial situation of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which said it had put seven such individuals in a “talent pool” for future opportunities whereby they could bypass the interview process.

The minister said the money announced by the government would make it “easier for employers to have an apprentice”, and that cash could be secured by the local integrated care boards (ICBs).

“We are very keen as a government to promote more nursing apprenticeships within high-need areas or where there is deprivation because we need more home-grown talent, and people are very keen to join the nursing profession but it can be difficult to get in,” Ms Smyth said.

“You can start as a healthcare assistant at entry level, but the apprenticeship allows people to rise up the ladder to a full district nursing level, which means better income and an ability to balance the training with other responsibilities and stagger their career.”

She added it would give more people a chance to access a nursing career through the 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,” she added.