Pride and Passion for Paramedic Apprentices from Crawley College at Graduation Ceremony 

A day of hugs, teary eyes and celebration as students, staff, and family gathered to mark the graduation of 57 very special ambulance service apprentices.

The ceremony, held at Lingfield racecourse, saw 7 Emergency Care Support Workers (ECSWs) and 50 Associate Ambulance Practitioners (AAPs) graduate, alongside apprentices from the University of Cumbria.  

The celebration formed part of the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) Celebrating Success Ceremony, which included apprentices from across the area, from Dover to Hampshire.  

During the evening, a series of awards were presented to both ESCWs and AAPs, including awards for the most outstanding learner and the most improved learner.  

One of these award-winning students was Elizabeth Agyemang, an ECSW apprentice who received the most outstanding learner award. She said:  

“I started my career with SECAmb in the control room. I worked there for quite a few years, and I got to a point where I wanted to be face-to-face with patients. I felt like I’d reached my limit in the control room, and the ESCW course felt like the natural route for me.  

When asked how she had found the course, she added:  
“I’d be lying if I said it was smooth sailing. Obviously, it comes with its challenges, but it has been really enjoyable, and I’ve made friendships for life as well, so overall a really good experience.”  

Another award-winning apprentice was Anthony Gunning, who won the most improved learner award as an AAP. He said:  

“It wasn’t easy, of course, there were times when I felt I had bit off more than I could chew…but along the way you build up confidence, you’ve also got good support as your peers are in it with you, so it ended up coming together quite nicely.”  

He also described the support he had, saying:  
“Initially, when I first joined, I was struggling to pick up the pace and the speed of the course, especially the technology side of it…the tutors gave me a bit more time, they printed out lots of stuff for me to go along with the course, so I didn’t have to complete everything online.” 

To find out more about the different courses available at SECAmb, including the ESCW and AAP courses, please click here. To find out all about the different coursers available directly through the college, please click here.