The University of Cumbria is celebrating a double success at the national Times Higher Education Awards 2024.
Its trail-blazing paramedic science degree apprenticeship scheme was named winner of the Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year.
Cumbrian peer Lord Bragg of Wigton, an honorary fellow of the university, who received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
The university’s paramedic science degree apprenticeship allows existing ambulance staff to upskill to become qualified, frontline paramedics within two years.
Addressing significant workforce shortages, University of Cumbria is supporting seven of 11 English ambulance trusts to deliver the paramedic science degree apprenticeship.
It is also expanding further to help Manx Care to offer similar opportunities to its staff on the Isle of Man.
Widening participation is a key agenda of the degree apprenticeship, as it allows students entry via non-traditional routes as well as the opportunity of a paramedic career to people without a prior degree and to those who need to earn while they learn.
A quarter of apprentices have additional support needs and University of Cumbria has achieved a high success rate with 79 per cent achieving a first or upper second (2:1) class degree. 96.2 per cent go on to paramedic roles after completing the programme.
Judges said they were impressed by the project because it delivered for students, the local community and the NHS, describing it as a ‘win, win, win!’
The panel added: “In a strong category, the project shone through because of the clear success metrics, because of the focus on mature students as well as those with specific learning difficulties and because of the scalability.
Associate professor in paramedicine Tom Davidson, director of the Centre of Excellence in Paramedic Practice at University of Cumbria, collected the award.
Tom said: “We’re particularly proud about how the apprenticeship can have an impact on individuals who may’ve never had the opportunity to access university before.
“It is wonderful to see how they are accessing and progressing in higher education through a non-traditional route, so many diverse backgrounds, and the success rate they are enjoying which all supports and contributes to the NHS workforce regionally and nationally.”
Vice Chancellor Professor Julie Mennell DL said: “We are very proud of our paramedic staff, apprenticeship team and professional services colleagues who, working alongside practitioners and partners, provide the NHS with hundreds of paramedics each year, right across the country.
“This award is most deserved, recognising a fantastic collective effort, which helps to ensure that those in need of help, often at times of crisis, have the expert help and support they need.”
Lord Bragg of Wigton was the recipient of one of the top awards of the night.
The THE Outstanding Achievement Award recognises Lord Bragg’s two-and-a-half decades at the helm of BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time, which brings university expertise on topics spanning history, science, philosophy and religion to audiences around the globe.
