Pharmacy update - January 2023

Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship

Due to the dispensation applied to the Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship Standard (Level 3), the on-programme qualification for apprentices will have the following requirements that differ from non-apprenticeship learners. 

The dispensation for Pharmacy Technician requires each individual apprentice to be reviewed and signed off by a Standards Verifier (SV) before the apprentice can be listed—individually—for achievement of their on-programme qualification, this means your allocated Standards Verifier will need to sample a range of units from each individual apprentice you have registered on the Level 3 Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians (Apprenticeship) programme.

Only apprentices who have been reviewed by the Standards Verifier and found to have sufficiently achieved standards will be put through for certification on a named basis. This also means the Apprenticeship version of the Level 3 Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians qualification cannot be granted Direct Claims Status (DCS).

The timing of sampling for apprentices should allow the allocated Standards Verifier to fully sample an apprentice before they are put through for EPA (End point Assessment). Partial sampling can be planned in advance for completed units to reduce the amount of time required to sample an apprentice in full as they come to completion of their on-programme training.

Please note that this does not apply to the Pharmacy Services Assistant Apprenticeship Standard (Level 2), therefore, Standards Verification arrangements for the on-programme qualification, the Level 2 Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Support Staff, will remain the same for both, apprentices and learners, with DCS being applicable where centres have demonstrated standards have been met and maintained over time.