A healthcare worker has completed two apprenticeships to achieve her 20-year dream of becoming an Occupational Therapist. Angela Mole works for Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (EPUT) Older Adult Community Mental Health Team in south Essex, supporting patients to remain independent within their own homes.
She said: “I really enjoy the variety of my role and the ability to work autonomously. “It is particularly rewarding to have the opportunity to problem solve and to empower and support the people I work with.”
As part of National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place from 9 – 15 February, EPUT is sharing stories of inspiration from current and past apprentices who have furthered their careers with the help of various apprenticeships that the NHS and EPUT has on offer.
Angela began her career at EPUT more than 20 years ago, working as an Occupational Therapy Assistant with dreams of becoming a fully qualified Occupational Therapist. Unfortunately, the only option to achieve this at the time was to undertake a full-time university course, which she could not commit to financially.
She said: “The apprenticeship was something I had always aspired to do and so I made myself aware of any apprenticeship pathways within the Trust.
“It was always my ambition to become a qualified Occupational Therapist, and when I was approached by my manager with the opportunity to embark on the apprenticeship, I knew I had to accept.”
Angela started a Healthcare Assistant Practitioner Apprenticeship in 2021, which gave her the opportunity to learn collaboratively with fellow Occupational Therapy Assistants, Speech and Language Assistants and Nursing Assistants. She finished the course in 2023 then started an Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship, which she successfully completed in 2025.
Angela said: “One of the things I really enjoyed about my apprenticeship was being able to turn theory into practice by applying what I was learning at university during my lectures to the patients I worked with.
“While it is a constant juggle of work, study and family life when completing an apprenticeship, the most important thing for me was to try and recognise when I needed a break and to take time for self-care along the way wherever possible.
“I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to finally achieve my dream. My advice to anyone considering an apprenticeship would be if you are considering it and have a passion to help others to just go for it.
“If I can do it, you can too!”