Occupational profile: Occupational therapy is a rewarding career which requires a highly developed knowledge and professional skill-set to enable you to work across a range of settings and environments. Occupational therapists work with individuals from birth to end of life including those with physical and mental health conditions, injury, learning disabilities, long-term conditions, palliative care needs and with those who find themselves displaced from their societies.
Your primary goal as an occupational therapist is to enable people to participate in meaningful occupations and activities of everyday life. Occupations include enabling people to engage in self-care, leisure activities or work. Through therapeutic use of ‘occupation’ an understanding of the relationship between the human body and mind, what a person needs/wants to do, their beliefs and the physical and social environment, you will enable people who face disease, disability and/or social challenges to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life. You will use skills in clinical reasoning, critical analysis, and research based evidence in your practice. You will use a person-centred approach to support people to carry out everyday occupations and routines such as dressing, eating, catching the bus to work or other activities that are important to them.
Occupational therapists also work with families, carers, employers and organisations that support the person as well as communities where people have become marginalised and require support to build a meaningful life. You can work in a variety of settings including health, social care, education and other private and voluntary sector organisations.
Qualifications Requirements: Apprentices will be required to complete a BSc (Hons) degree in Occupational Therapy or Level 7 qualification approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and accredited by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) where the apprentice already holds a Level 6 degree. Apprentices without Level 2 English and Maths will need to achieve this level prior to completing the end-point assessment (EPA). For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement the apprenticeships English and Maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualification are an alternative to English qualifications for which this is their primary language.
Entry requirements are typically 3 A-levels or equivalent access qualifications.
Level: 6
Duration: Typically 4 years
Review Date: After 3 years
For more information regarding this apprenticeship please visit:
The Institute for Apprenticeship
Royal College of Occupational Therapists
Health & Care Professions Council
