YORKSHIRE Ambulance Service has been named one of the nation’s top apprenticeship employers.

The service, which won the apprentice employer of the year category at the Regional Apprentice Awards, has followed that up by being named one of the top 100 in the country by the National Apprenticeship Service.

The announcement came at the Skills Awards event held as part of the Skills Show in Birmingham.

YAS is one of only four NHS trusts to be given this accolade in recognition of excellence for apprenticeships. The four now fly the flag for NHS apprenticeships among the 100 employers, who include Rolls-Royce.

Frank McMahon, of YH Training Services Ltd, said: We’ve been working with YAS for three years now to develop and expand their apprenticeship programme and are proud to see them achieve the accolade of being in the top 100 apprenticeship employers and being named as the Apprentice Employer of the Year 2012.”

In 2011, both the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and YH were rewarded for their hard work – together with the commitment of the apprentices – when YAS was named as employer of the year” and YH Training Services was named as NHS Training Provider for Yorkshire and Humberside in the 2011 NHS Yorkshire and Humber Apprenticeship Awards.

Said Mr McMahon: “To start with one apprenticeship opportunity in August, 2009, when we developed our partnership, to being named as one of the top 100 apprenticeship employers in November, 2012, is a phenomenal achievement and we look forward to our continued partnership with them in the coming years.”

YAS uses apprenticeships to provide an opportunity for existing staff to develop and share their skills as well as to recruit new staff. As a result, YAS has apprentices ranging in age from 16 to 52.

YAS is also the first NHS ambulance service to have implemented apprenticeships into frontline services working as part of the non-emergency team and is currently working with other NHS ambulance services in England to establish similar schemes.