Ambulance service recognised as one of the top apprenticeship employers in the country

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has been named as number 21 in the country. This announcement comes just weeks after the service won ‘Employer of the Year’ at the NHS Apprentice Awards for a second time.

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers celebrates England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers, recognising their commitment to creating new apprenticeships, the diversity of their apprentices and the number of apprentices who successfully achieve their apprenticeships.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved here at NWAS. Our apprenticeship programs are very important to us. They offer employment and training opportunities to people at all different stages of their careers. As a result, we are able to attract and benefit from staff from a host of different backgrounds. It also allows us to upskill, retrain and retain staff, which is very important to offer staff real career opportunities within the organisation.”

Lisa Ward, Director of People, North West Ambulance Service.

NWAS’s internal education team was recognised as part of the ranking. They deliver training for the service’s apprentice emergency medical technician (EMT) positions, with more than 100 completing a 15-month course every year and 85% achieving a grade of merit of higher.

It’s not all clinical opportunities either; people study externally for a number of different qualifications while employed in finance, communications, project management, information and communication technology (ICT) and more. In all, 280 apprentices have begun their training with the service, with people working in around 20 different roles.

First compiled in 2020, the prestigious annual employer rankings have been developed by the Department of Education, in partnership with High Fliers Research, who independently assess and rank the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

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