The pressure is rising for the NHS to increase apprenticeships to 28,000 by 2017, and recruitment isn’t the only problem that comes with it. Inevitably, training costs are looking pretty daunting too.

The NHS is no stranger to huge cuts and even higher expectations, so when it comes to finding efficiencies, every penny counts! An effective eportfolio is the answer. It's not only a digital store for your learners' notes, it's a complete online learning journal for all your apprentices, nurses and doctors. Learners can upload evidence of their skills, reflect on their progression and create a personal development plan – ensuring staff are fully involved in their careers as they grow.

Find out how much your NHS Trust could save with our eportfolio.

Many NHS centres already use our eportfolio, so we thought it was only right that we share our knowledge with you. Here are the top three benefits selected by centres across the country.

Flexible learning

We all know life on the ward can be hectic – so flexibility is of paramount importance. Apprentices are directly involved in developing their practical skills and recording their progression, so they need it to be as simple as possible. With an eportfolio, learners can capture a wide range of evidence, whenever and wherever they are. Evidence can be captured using video clips, photographs and audio files – ideal for recording patient interaction and procedures. Forget about writing up long reports at the end of the day – now apprentices can complete everything on the job!  And it fits in with their schedule. Learners can collect evidence on a mobile device and upload files when they next connect to the internet – whether that's at home or at work.

Cost savings

Eportfolios deliver a significant return on investment within the first year. Simply by changing the way apprenticeships are delivered in your centre, you could save over £300 per learner, per year. With an eportfolio, cost reductions are found in every aspect of training. The amount of physical resources required – such as paper, pens, folders, printing and postage – is hugely reduced as the entire apprenticeship is completed online. Reviews and assessments can be fulfilled online and offline instead of during face-to-face visits – reducing travel time, petrol costs and staffing bills. Plus, it means your staff have more time to spend with their patients.

Safe and sound

From progress reports to electronic evidence – the entire eportfolio is safely stored on a remote server which is backed up every 15 minutes. This means portfolios cannot be lost. Plus, the entire file can be accessed for internal and external moderation, and is archived for future reference.

But that's enough about the benefits – you want to know the cold hard facts. Download our guide to find out the return on investment you can expect from using an eportfolio in the NHS. There's also loads of further information, useful downloads and an ROI calculator – so you can get a bespoke estimate for your centre.