West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating over 800 apprentices currently employed at the Trust this National Apprenticeship Week.

National Apprenticeship Week is marked across the 7-13th February and aims to aims to shine a light on the amazing work being done by employers and apprentices across the country.
 
West Midlands Ambulance Service is one of the first Ambulance Trusts approved as an Apprenticeship Main Training Provider with the Education and Skills Funding Agency for Higher Level Apprenticeships and remains the most productive organisation in the West Midlands region, and within the ambulance sector, for developing staff through the delivery of the apprenticeship standards, with the largest provision of student paramedic registered apprentices.
 
The Trust first introduced apprenticeship programmes in 2010, when it introduced the very first apprenticeship which still runs at the Trust today, the Motor Vehicle Apprenticeship. To date, the Trust currently have several apprenticeships to offer, ranging from level 2 to level 7 apprenticeships.
 
In October 2012, the Trust introduced its Non-Emergency Patient Transport Scheme, over the nine years we have recruited 278 apprentices onto the scheme. Fifty are currently on programme, many have progressed onto Permanent positions with the Trust. Twenty-four are them are now Paramedics, seventeen are technicians, fifteen are progressing within the Student Paramedic pathway, four are involved in the training of staff and forty are employed within the Patient Transport Scheme and other departments. People Director, Carla Beechey said:

“Apprenticeships are central to assist the Trust to build our future workforce. I would like to thank everyone involved in supporting our apprenticeship schemes and assisting with the development of our staff.”
 
The Trust has marked National Apprenticeship Week on social media by sharing the stories of past and present apprentices and celebrating their hard work and progression with the Trust.
 
If you’d like to find out more about roles available at the Trust, you can do so at wmas.nhs.uk.