The profile of education and training is changing, with a wider variety of pre-registration education and training programmes approved by HCPC. This includes a broader range of qualification levels, and a significant increase in the number of apprenticeship programmes in England.
With various initiatives across the four UK nations, we have seen (and expect to see further) increases in the total number of learners within professions, nations, and regions. We have noted an impact on practice-based learning, education provider resources, and innovations in delivery models due to these initiatives.
We have seen diversification in learning, teaching and assessments, which are in part driven by the education sector's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have found many innovations in this area have been embedded into programmes on a permanent basis.
Interprofessional education is an important area to the HCPC, to ensure learners are properly prepared for practice. We have identified good practice and challenges with education provider approaches to embedding and delivering interprofessional education.
Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is an important area to the HCPC, to ensure learners are properly supported and prepared for practice. We have identified good practice and challenges with education provider approaches to embedding EDI into their programmes.
Service user and carer involvement is an important area to the HCPC, to ensure learners are properly prepared for practice. We have identified good practice and challenges with education provider approaches to service user and carer involvement.
We required that all education providers embedded our revised standards of proficiency (SOPs) from September 2023. We have assessed education provider alignment with the SOPs, and have considered common practices and challenges with this alignment.
