Shaunna Farley – Monday 9th February 2026 – 9.15am.
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) is celebrating 16 years of Apprenticeships at the Trust this National Apprenticeship Week. Since their introduction, the Trust has seen over 1850 apprentices past and present, who have been employed by WMAS.
National Apprenticeship Week is marked across the 9-15th February and 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. The Trust remains the most productive organisation in the West Midlands region and within the ambulance sector, for developing our staff through the delivery of the apprenticeship standards, with the largest provision of student paramedic registered apprentices.
The Trust currently has 11 apprenticeship programmes and works in collaboration with 6 partner universities and 8 apprenticeship training providers and colleges to facilitate staff’s progression.
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. In October 2012, the Trust announced its Non-Emergency Patient Transport Scheme and over the thirteen years we have recruited 500 apprentices onto this scheme. To date, the Trust currently has several apprenticeship routes to offer, ranging from level 2 to level 7 apprenticeships.
The Trust is actively leading at a national level to ensure it is both sighted on sector development and actively involved in writing legislation to meet the needs of educational programmes for Apprenticeships and has been invited by Ofsted this year to act as part of their pilot scheme for their new improved education inspection framework.
The Trust has now commenced its planning submission for Office for Students to further its internal position and educational development and to continue progress for the delivery of its higher education apprenticeships for Paramedic Sciences.
Director of People, Carla Beechey said: “Apprenticeships play a vital role in building our future workforce. I’d like to thank everyone involved in supporting our apprenticeship programmes and helping our staff to grow, develop and succeed.
“Our workforce should reflect the communities we serve, and apprenticeships offer a valuable route for local people to join the Trust and gain skills that will last a lifetime.”
Recruitment Manager, Louise Jones said: “We’re delighted to be marking National Apprenticeship Week and shining a spotlight on the apprenticeships we have available.
“There’s a common misconception that we only recruit Paramedics, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We offer a diverse range of apprenticeship opportunities, from Student Paramedic training and Motor Vehicle apprenticeships to Business Administration and many more.
If you’d like to find out more about roles available at the Trust, you can do so by visiting www.jobs.nhs.uk and searching for West Midlands Ambulance Service.”
The Trust will be celebrating National Apprenticeship Week and showcasing the fantastic apprentices and opportunities available at the Trust on @OfficialWMAS social media on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, by sharing the stories of some past and present apprentices and celebrating their hard work and progression with the Trust.
ENDS.