Employer Case Study: Using Apprenticeships to Support Recruitment, Retention, and Workforce Development

Facing recruitment pressures, skills gaps, and increasing service demand, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust used apprenticeships as part of a long-term workforce development strategy.

Through a long-standing partnership with CT Skills, the Trust has supported over 100 employees to complete Business Administration, Team Leader, and Operations Manager apprenticeships—driving workforce capability and creating clear progression opportunities across the organisation.

The Challenge

The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust delivers acute and community services to a population of over 260,000 people. Like many healthcare providers, the organisation faces ongoing workforce pressures while maintaining high standards of patient care.

Key challenges included:

• Skills gaps across administrative and leadership roles
• Recruitment difficulties, particularly in hard-to-fill positions
• Increased service demand and workload pressures
• Retention of skilled staff
• Scalable workforce planning
• Balancing workforce development with budget and training constraints

Traditional recruitment approaches alone were not sufficient to build a sustainable pipeline of skilled talent.

The Trust needed to:

• Recruit new talent into the NHS, particularly from local communities
• Develop existing staff into leadership roles
• Create long-term, scalable workforce solutions

The Solution

The Trust has partnered with CT Skills for over seven years. During this time more than 100 members of staff, both new talent and existing employees, have completed apprenticeships.

Programmes included:

• Business Administration
• Team Leader
• Operations Manager

Apprenticeships were used as a flexible workforce development tool, helping the Trust recruit into entry-level roles, develop existing employees, and build capability in areas linked directly to service delivery.

The experience of working with CT Skills has been consistently positive, with a focus on communication, structure, and learner support.

“The quality of communication and processes provided is excellent at all times. As an employer we’re kept up to date throughout all the apprenticeships, and each apprentice feels extremely comfortable and supported.”

Implementation

CT Skills worked closely with apprentices, line managers, and the People team to keep delivery structured, relevant, and aligned with workplace needs.

The apprenticeship approach combined:

• Structured, role-relevant training
• Practical, on-the-job experience across Trust services
• Continuous support for apprentices, line managers, and the People team

Apprentices were successfully integrated into teams and contributed from an early stage.

• New apprentices supported entry-level workforce needs
• Existing staff developed leadership and management capability
• Programmes aligned directly with workforce planning and service delivery needs

Importantly, apprenticeships also supported recruitment into roles that were previously difficult to fill.

“By recruiting new apprentices we’ve been able to support local young people into roles within the NHS. Some of these roles have been hard to fill so an apprenticeship has given us a great option for these challenges.”

Results & Impact

The introduction of apprenticeships has delivered clear benefits across workforce performance, service delivery, and employee development.

Organisational Impact

• Improved service performance through increased capability
• Reduced skills gaps across key functions
• Increased workforce capacity to manage demand
• Improved team morale and engagement

Workforce Development

• Enhanced knowledge and skills across a wide range of roles
• Strengthened leadership pipeline through management apprenticeships
• Supported development of both new and existing staff

“Each apprenticeship has helped impact the performance of our services as an NHS Trust. Every individual has seen many benefits to their own knowledge and skills carrying out important roles across the Trust.”

Retention & Progression

• Improved staff retention across participating teams
• Created clear pathways for progression into higher band roles
• Enabled individuals to access meaningful career development opportunities

“We have found the investment has improved staff retention and giving personal opportunities to progress.”

Experience with CT Skills

The Trust’s long-term partnership with CT Skills has been a critical success factor. The provider has delivered a consistent, high-quality service across recruitment, onboarding, and training delivery.

Key strengths include:

• Excellent communication throughout the apprenticeship lifecycle
• Clear processes and structured programme delivery
• Ongoing support for both learners and managers
• Strong collaboration with internal teams

The partnership continues to evolve, supporting the Trust’s long-term workforce strategy.

Client Feedback

“CT Skills provide an excellent apprenticeship service. They communicate throughout, ensuring the apprentice, line manager and my team are aware of progress. It’s a great partnership which has grown over the last few years.”

“The quality of communication and processes provided is excellent at all times, and each apprentice feels extremely comfortable and supported.”

Key Takeaways: What Other Employers Can Learn

• Solve recruitment challenges with apprenticeships
• Create a sustainable talent pool
• Invest in existing staff
• Choose the right training provider
• Deliver value for everyone

For The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, apprenticeships have become a practical way to address workforce challenges, support staff development, and strengthen service capability. The partnership with CT Skills shows how apprenticeships can form part of a long-term, scalable workforce strategy.

Could apprenticeships support your workforce strategy? Whether you are looking to recruit new talent, upskill existing employees or create clearer progression routes, CT Skills can help you build apprenticeship solutions aligned to your organisation’s needs. Contact the team today.