The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has opened applications for an apprentice pre-registration trainee pharmacy technician at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter. The 27-month apprenticeship pays £25,272 a year in the first year, rising to between £25,760 and £27,476 in the second year, and leads to a nationally recognised Level 3 qualification and registration as a pharmacy technician.

The vacancy was posted on the trust's official vacancies site on 11 November 2026, with applications closing on 26 November 2026 and interviews scheduled for 4 December 2026. The successful candidate is expected to start on 22 February 2027.

What the apprenticeship involves

The post is a fixed-term apprenticeship combining work in the hospital pharmacy with day release at college through online remote learning. Trainees study for the Level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practice for Pharmacy Technicians, a nationally recognised qualification which, on completion, allows them to register as a pharmacy technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).

Trainees rotate through the pharmacy department, learning the roles carried out by pharmacy technicians. That includes labelling, dispensing and final accuracy checking of prescriptions, receiving and issuing prescriptions, aseptic services, and ward-based duties covering medicines management and optimisation to ensure safe medicine use. The role also involves providing customer care and maintaining confidentiality when dealing with patients and staff.

No previous pharmacy or customer service experience is needed, as full training is provided. The trust says it is looking for enthusiastic, hardworking and self-motivated people with good written and verbal communication skills.

Pay, hours and benefits

The salary is £25,272 a year pro rata in year one and £25,760 to £27,476 a year pro rata in year two, for a 37.5-hour working week. The post is fixed term until 21 May 2029, and for current NHS employees it could be taken as a secondment.

Staff benefits include 27 days of paid annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days, access to the NHS pension scheme, occupational health services, staff discounts including the Blue Light Card, a cycle to work scheme, car lease options and salary sacrifice options including an on-site nursery.

Because the post involves access to vulnerable adults and children, the successful applicant will need an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, in line with trust policy.

Devon's largest employer

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust says it employs more than 15,000 staff, making it the largest employer in Devon. Its services reach more than 615,000 people across more than 2,000 square miles, through North Devon District Hospital and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital at Wonford, alongside community hospitals and services in people's own homes.

Pharmacy technicians are registered healthcare professionals. Once trained, a technician registers with the GPhC, whose protected title means only those on the register may call themselves a pharmacy technician or practise as one. The training route combines a GPhC-approved Level 3 qualification with at least two years of supervised work-based experience.

Anyone interested should apply before the 26 November 2026 closing date, as the trust reserves the right to close the vacancy early once it has received enough applications. Applications are made through the trust's vacancies site, and further information is available from Beverley Taylor, lead technician for education and training, on 01392 403406 or at beverley.taylor4@nhs.net. The full vacancy details are published on the Royal Devon vacancies site, and the current list of the trust's live roles is on its vacancies search page.