The School of Nursing and Allied Health at the University of Chichester has been named a finalist at the Portsmouth and Chichester Apprenticeship Awards for Training Provider of the Year.
The 2026 awards, organised by The News, Portsmouth, and Chichester Observer series, recognises excellence in apprenticeships across Hampshire and West Sussex.
Maisie Colella, Academic Lead for Nursing at the University, said: “At Chichester, we’re small but mighty. We want our nurse apprentices to feel confident in their abilities and we work hard to provide targeted support – which leads to excellent job prospects at the end of their course.
“Our success is demonstrated by our NSS results and our student and employer feedback, and we’re delighted to be recognised further as a finalist in the Portsmouth and Chichester Apprenticeship Awards.”
The School of Nursing and Allied Health offers a Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship, in partnership with our local NHS and independent care providers, which allows healthcare workers to boost their nursing career with academic study alongside on-the-job learning.
Apprentices study at University one day a week alongside their full-time job for two years, and get the opportunity to take part in external placements to give them exposure to different fields of nursing. Students graduate as registered Nursing Associates with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The programme is highly regulated with Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) requirements.
In July, National Student Survey (NSS) results for 2026 revealed that the Nursing Associate Course Apprenticeship was voted 1st out of 47 universities for overall average positivity, ‘Teaching on my course’, ‘Learning opportunities’, ‘Organisation and Management’, ‘Student Voice’ and ‘Mental wellbeing communication’ all at 100% positivity.
Apprenticeships widen participation and give people who may not have been able to enter higher education a chance to obtain a degree and enhance their qualifications. It also allows those with family commitments to balance study alongside full-time work.
Read some of our inspiring student apprenticeship stories here.
The success of the Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship has led to interest from local trusts and organisations in further development opportunities which has led to a new programme from September 2026; the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (Adult Nursing).
The Portsmouth and Chichester Apprenticeship Awards ceremony takes place on Thursday, 22 October at the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, where the winners will be revealed.