Apprentices from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) have been shortlisted for a number of awards at the North East Apprenticeship Awards 2025. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 26 June at Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle.
The North East Ambulance Service covers 3,200 square miles across the North East and employs more than 3,200 staff, serving a population of 2.7 million people. In 2023/24, the service’s education team oversaw more than 550 apprentices across clinical and non-clinical apprenticeship roles and in 2024, the service’s very first cohort of paramedic apprentices graduated from Teesside University.
The North East Apprenticeship Awards highlight excellence across the region’s apprentices and apprenticeship providers. The service’s shortlisted nominees are as followed:
Advanced Apprentice of the Year
Martin McKie, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Degree Apprentice of the Year
Luke Evans, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Health and Public Service Apprentice of the Year
Kelly Ingoe, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Melissa MacGillivray, North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Assistant director of people and development, Karen Gardner, oversees the service’s apprenticeship programs, education and training school. She said: “As a service we are incredibly proud of our apprenticeship schemes and the opportunities we are able to provide existing colleagues as well as new-colleagues who join NEAS in developing their careers within the ambulance sector.
“There’s a greater demand now more than ever for apprenticeship opportunities with more and more people looking for alternatives to university or looking to retrain, and we’re thrilled that people are interested in joining the ambulance service.”
NEAS has been ranked as one of the UK's top 100 apprenticeship employers for three consecutive years, ranking at 65th in the country, thanks to the efforts of its specialist education department which has invested heavily in apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships with the North East Ambulance Service consist of work-based training programmes, combining on-the-job training with nationally recognised qualifications. Based at NEAS, students are enrolled into 14 different apprenticeship programmes and can choose from a range of programmes across clinical and non-clinical roles.
The service itself has also been shortlisted for two employer awards. They are as followed:
Apprentice Ambassador of the Year
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Large Employer of the Year
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Karen continues: “Our education team works incredibly hard every year to train and support hundreds of apprentices in their education, both in clinical and non-clinical roles. Seeing this hard work pay off not only in nominations for our apprentices but also our service is very rewarding and great to see.
“I’m wishing all of our shortlisted colleagues the best of luck; regardless of whether you win or not, I and the rest of the education team are incredibly proud of you and the work you continue to do across our service. Congratulations!”