200 newly-qualified paramedics were able to celebrate their graduation from the University of Cumbria at Carlisle Cathedral on Wednesday. 

It was February 2021 when the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) launched its new apprenticeship scheme in partnership with the University of Cumbria. 

Emergency medical technicians (EMT1s) were offered the opportunity to become fully-fledged paramedics in just two years, compared to three years for a traditional degree in paramedic science.

After two years of hard work, those participating in the NWAS scheme were able to celebrate their success on a sunny afternoon in Carlisle on Wednesday. 

Consultant Paramedic for Education Vinny Romano was delighted with the sheer number of those graduating, and suggested that an increase in the number of paramedics can only be a good thing for the country and the NHS amid concerns over ambulance wait times. 

He said: "We need numbers, we need paramedics coming through, we need people with life experience. It just supports and compliments any of the younger people who go to university in the traditional way. EMT1s are usually more experienced, they’ve probably been in the ambulance service a number of years already so it gives us a real breadth."

READ MORE: Meet the Cumbrian locals who qualified as paramedics on Wednesday

Mr Romano also suggested that he hoped that the apprenticeship would only continue to grow in popularity after a successful first two years. 

He said: "It’s very popular because people can’t always do the traditional route of going to university for three years and not working. This allows people to work, to earn money and gain experience in an ambulance with paramedics around them and then apply the knowledge that they learn at university.

"You can apply to be an EMT1 within the ambulance service, you can go to university. You have got to know that it is the right job for you. It’s very rewarding when we’re going out and helping patients, making a difference in people’s lives. It’s not the easiest thing to become a paramedic and that is a testament to these guys today and how hard they’ve worked to become fully qualified.

"It’s a great job, it’s maybe not for everybody for it’s one of the best jobs in the world."