Clinical trials specialist (degree)
Level 6 · DegreeHealth and science 5 yr typical
About this apprenticeship
What it involves
The Clinical Trials Specialist degree apprenticeship prepares you to plan, coordinate, and oversee clinical trials that test new medicines, devices, or interventions in human participants. You will work across research, regulatory, and operational functions, ensuring trials comply with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and UK law. This pathway can lead to senior roles in clinical research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, or NHS research networks.
On the job
What you’ll learn
Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and international clinical trial regulations
How to design trial protocols and manage ethical and regulatory submissions
Patient safety monitoring, adverse event reporting, and risk management
Data management, statistics, and interpretation of trial results
Project management tools and methods used in clinical research
Stakeholder engagement with investigators, sponsors, and ethics committees
On the job
What you’ll do day to day
Coordinate site initiation visits and train site staff in trial procedures
Monitor patient recruitment, consent, and data collection at trial sites
Track and report adverse events in line with regulatory requirements
Maintain trial master files and ensure documentation is audit-ready
Liaise with sponsors, investigators, and regulatory bodies
Review data queries and resolve discrepancies in clinical databases
The deal
How this apprenticeship works
You earn a wage from day one. You are a paid employee, not a student. There are no tuition fees - the training is funded by your employer and the government.
About 20% is “off-the-job” training. Roughly a day a week is spent learning away from your normal duties - at a college, training provider, or online - working towards a recognised qualification.
It ends with an end-point assessment (EPA). Near the end, an independent assessor checks you can do the job to the national standard - through tests, a project, a portfolio or an interview. Pass it and you are fully qualified.
How to get there
What you need to start
Level 6 (Degree) - roughly Bachelor’s-degree level. Usually needs A-levels or a Level 3 qualification (employers set UCAS-point targets). You earn a full degree while you work - with no tuition fees to pay.
What’s next: Leads into professional roles, sometimes with a Level 7 (Master’s) apprenticeship after.
Entry requirements are set by each employer and can vary - always check the specific vacancy.
Hear from employers
What it’s really like
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