It is hoped the move will "give the public confidence" that people in the profession can be compassionate, Hunt will say.
He will today publish the Government's response to the Francis report into serious failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which highlighted "appalling and unnecessary suffering of hundreds of people" at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2009.
As many as 1,200 patients may have died needlessly after they were "routinely neglected" at the hospital.
In total there were 290 recommendations for reforming the system.
Ministers are not expected to respond individually to each one. Instead, they will spell out a series of steps they are taking to answer the main themes that arose from the inquiry.
Ministers believe placing student nurses on wards as healthcare assistants will help them develop the caring skills required, before completing the academic qualifications.
New minimum training standards and a code of conduct for healthcare assistants are also likely to be unveiled, although this looks like it will fall short of the registration scheme recommended by the public inquiry.
Hunt hopes to change NHS culture by transforming the way nurses are recruited. Subject to pilot schemes, students seeking NHS funding for nursing degrees will become healthcare assistants or support workers either as part of their degree or as a prerequisite for receiving funding for their degree. The move will see aspiring nurses giving "hands-on" patient care, Hunt will say.
If it is successful, ministers will see whether the measure should be "extended beyond nursing". Another aspect of the Government response will see the introduction of minimum training standards and a code of conduct for health and care support workers.
Yesterday The NHS Employers set out its response to the Francis report. It called for "top drawer' staff engagement to ensure a "healthy balance between national oversight and assurance and what needs to be developed locally."
NHS Employers also said that building the confidence and assurance of the capability of healthcare assistants requires investment of resources into strengthening recruitment, selection, induction and development, rather than the creation of a national register.
Dean Royles, chief executive of the NHS Employers organisation, said: "Success will be that 'Francis' becomes a byword for improvement rather than failure."
