From learning to saving lives: ambulance service apprentices celebrate at awards ceremony 

Crawley College was honoured to celebrate the achievements of 29 ambulance service apprentices at the recent South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) Celebrating Success Ceremony.  

Taking place on Monday 7 April, the event saw the college’s Emergency Care Support Workers (ECSWs) and Associate Ambulance Practitioners (AAPs) come together with more than 170 other apprentices, friends, and family to celebrate their hard work in completing their course.

The event was held in partnership with City St. George’s University and the University of Cumbria, and illustrated the hard work and dedication put in by every student from each college.

This included a series of awards given out for the most improved learner and outstanding learner on each course.

Joseph Chapman, one of the college’s Emergency Care Support Worker (ECSW) apprentices, received the award for ECSW Outstanding Learner at the ceremony. He described how he had found the course:

“It was really good, it was tough but made to be enjoyable, we had lots of support from our peers and lecturers, and there were lots of resources made available for us to learn from, as well as hands-on learning during the job. It was a really enjoyable experience.

“In a few weeks I will be starting the Associate Ambulance Practitioners course, which is an internal progression route, and it is shorter than the external option. I’ll be learning new skills, and be able to take more responsibility, and that will be the equivalent of one year in university.”

Graham Durey, another ECSW and winner of the ECSW Most Improved award, explained what it felt like to graduate:
“It feels really good to graduate and put some closure on the course. The course was really informative and appropriate to the role we undertake. There was such a vast array of what we had to learn, as well as different methods of teaching us. Between it all, it was a really good experience.

“One highlight is probably looking back on it from where I started to where I am now, it’s made me a much better clinician on the road.”

Dean Wynter, Acting Principal of Crawley College, added:
“We are all so proud to see our latest round of ambulance service apprentices celebrate finishing the end of their course. Each and every single one of them has worked long nights and early mornings, putting in the hours to earn this celebration.

“Congratulations to everyone who has graduated and thank you for doing what you do, everyone at Crawley College is so proud of all of you.”