# Nursing degrees could be axed under Tory plans to end the ‘degreeification’ of work, replaced with apprenticeships

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/nursing-degrees-could-be-axed-under-tory-plans-to-end-the-degreeification-of-work-replaced-with-apprenticeships/
- Published: 2026-11-05T23:42:15+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T00:04:24+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16269279/Tories-nurses-degrees-Kemi-Badenoch.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Badenoch is examining alternatives to mandatory nursing degrees.
- The RCN says degree-level education improves patient safety.
- Nursing graduates have average debts of £50,160.

## Summary

Kemi Badenoch is considering whether nurses and midwives in England should be able to train on the job without needing a degree, as the Conservatives develop plans to expand apprenticeships. The proposal is part of her criticism of what she calls the “degreeification” of work and concern about student debt; the Royal College of Nursing says degree-level education supports patient safety.

Since 2013, new nurses in England have been required to complete degree-level education, usually a three-year university course, although degree apprenticeships are available. Before the change, most new nurses took two-year diploma courses, and around a quarter of nurses held degrees. The RCN describes nursing as a highly skilled, safety-critical profession, while Badenoch has also questioned the NHS’s reliance on overseas staff and said the Conservatives are actively examining the training requirement.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.