North East Ambulance Service crowned regional winner for prestigious national apprenticeship and skills awards
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has been named the North East regional winner at the prestigious National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2025, recognising the organisation’s exceptional commitment to developing and supporting apprentices across the region.
The regional ceremony took place at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead on Thursday 16 October 2025. Now in its 22nd year, the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards celebrate the employers, apprentices, T Level students and skills champions who are making a real difference to workplaces and communities across England. NEAS was one of a number of organisations dedicated to promoting apprenticeship opportunities that were shortlisted from across the North East.
Covering 3,230 square miles and serving a population of 2.7 million people, NEAS employs more than 3,700 staff across clinical and non-clinical roles. In 2024/25 alone, the service’s education team supported more than 500 apprentices through work-based training programmes combining practical experience with nationally recognised qualifications.
Apprenticeships at NEAS span both clinical and non-clinical disciplines, offering opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and stages of their careers to learn, develop and progress. From ambulance support practitioners and paramedics to roles in support services, the programmes are designed to support ongoing skill-building and professional growth.
This investment in learning is essential for dynamic, fast-evolving sectors like healthcare and emergency services, where continuous development ensures teams can adapt and respond to changing needs not only of its patients, but also the wider NHS.
Last year, the service celebrated a major milestone as its first cohort of paramedic apprentices graduated from Teesside University, marking a significant step in developing the region’s future frontline healthcare professionals. This summer, a second cohort of paramedic apprentices also graduated, further strengthening the number of ‘homegrown’ paramedics now serving communities across the North East.
Ranked among the UK’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for three consecutive years and currently 65th nationally, NEAS continues to lead the way in workforce development through its dedicated education department and its commitment to offering opportunities across 14 different apprenticeship programmes.
Karen Gardner, assistant director of people and development at NEAS, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be recognised as the regional winner for the North East. Apprenticeships play a vital role in shaping the future of our workforce and ensuring that we continue to deliver safe, high-quality care to our patients.
“This award is a reflection of the passion, commitment and hard work of our apprentices, their mentors and the education team who support them every step of the way.”
As a regional winner, NEAS will now represent the North East at the national awards ceremony on Wednesday 26 November 2025, joining top employers, apprentices and educators from across the country to celebrate excellence in skills and training.