Alma Economics was commissioned by Health Education England (HEE) to assess the cost implications of clinical apprenticeships in London Trusts. Our team constructed a microsimulation model to compare the financial implications of expanding apprenticeship delivery with a “business-as-usual” scenario.

By examining the difference between these two scenarios, we estimated the expected costs and savings associated with apprenticeships in London Trusts over a 10-year period. The model was informed by administrative data provided by HEE, qualitative information gathered from an online survey of 21 London Trusts, and interviews with education providers and apprenticeship leads.

Interviewees also provided access to internal workforce modelling and ongoing research. Some of the main costs we assumed in our analysis were backfill, hiring, administrative, and supervision costs, as well as earnings. In terms of benefits, we considered retention rates, the value of career development opportunities, the value of internally trained staff to Trusts and the reduced use of bank and agency staff to fill vacancies.