Pilot programme gives volunteers a pathway to join East of England Ambulance Service

The ‘Volunteer to Career’ programme provides training for people to get the skills needed to begin full time roles at EEAST.

And the course now has its first success stories, with graduates Grant Harvey and Matt Sharp taking up new roles as emergency care assistants in Ipswich and Hellesdon respectively in April.

Grant and Matt were two of 11 people on the NHS England-funded pilot programme and joined EEAST as volunteer community first responders after receiving induction training.

The training for the programme was provided by the clinician-led training team at TrainEEAST.

The students then shadowed ambulance crews and call handlers in an emergency operations centre to see which role would suit them best, before being trained to kickstart a career in that role.

In Matt and Grant’s case it was a career in frontline operations that appealed most and they undertook further clinical training to complete the programme.

In addition, Grant was also able to complete the four-week course to drive an ambulance on blue lights – the certificate in emergency response ambulance driving (CERAD) – so will be ready to hit the ground running when he joins the Trust in April.

The programme offers no guarantee of a job, but everyone is supported throughout and on completion they secure qualifications that enhance their career prospects.

Matt was working in the care industry when he joined the programme, having made that move from the construction industry to gain experience as he wanted to pursue a career with the ambulance service. Grant had previously been a lorry driver.

The programme has support from Helpforce, a charity which aims to accelerate the growth and impact of volunteering in health and care.

It is hoped that the early success of the programme will lead to it being continued and provide another pathway for people to join EEAST.

Vikki Darby, a leadership development manager at EEAST who led up the programme, was delighted to hear the news that Grant and Matt had secured jobs.

She said:

“It has been a privilege to support everyone on the pilot of the Volunteer to Career programme and I was ecstatic to hear Matt and Grant had been successful in their applications to join the Trust.

“The teamwork across the organisation to help launch this programme has been phenomenal and ensured it has been a success.

“Grant and Matt securing jobs at EEAST shows that the pathway works and we are looking to continue and develop this programme.”

Grant said:

“I would recommend this programme to anyone who is thinking about working in the ambulance service.

“It takes a lot of effort and sacrifices as there are many hours of studying, but it gives you a real sense of achievement when you have completed all the courses.

“The support from everyone involved with the programme has been fantastic and it gives volunteers a real insight into working at the ambulance service before committing to the job full time.”

Matt said:

“The support from Vikki and her team this on programme is exceptional. I can’t thank them enough.

“The course was challenging but very rewarding and you always felt supported.

“I have long wanted to pursue a career with the ambulance service and feel incredibly lucky to be the first to have gone through this route to secure a job."