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A £300,000 grant has been awarded to London Ambulance Service by the facilities management and catering firm to fund the training of 10 paramedics and three new emergency ambulance crew.
Large businesses such as Sodexo can gift up to 25 per cent of their apprenticeship levy funds to help other organisations fund apprenticeship courses.
The donation follows Sodexo posting on LinkedIn during National Apprenticeship Week last February that it will donate £800,000 a year to benefit SME organisations.
London Ambulance Service (LAS) applied for the grant to help them develop and recruit further medics. The funding, made through the apprenticeship levy transfer scheme, will help London Ambulance Service support the training of more external and internal candidates through their Associate Ambulance Practitioner and paramedic apprenticeship courses.
Apprentices enrolled on these will learn new on the job skills while working alongside qualified experienced LAS clinicians with the support of practice educators.
Sue Davison, Head of Apprenticeships at Sodexo, said: “All those working within our NHS carry out hugely important work and we are enormously pleased that the London Ambulance Service approached us and asked for help in this way.
“We are committed to the apprenticeship scheme and encourage all of our colleagues in Sodexo to further their development and boost their careers through this, but we also gift a percentage of our levy to organisations that help others and the London Ambulance Service more than fits that role.”
Dr John Martin, Chief Paramedic and Quality Officer for London Ambulance Service, commented: “At London Ambulance Service we have a multitude of different routes for those wishing to start a career in healthcare. Our apprenticeship programmes offer staff and external candidates an accessible option to progress their skills on the frontline. Each course ensures those enrolled achieve the same high standard of teaching as those taking the degree route, whilst gaining valuable clinical experience responding to Londoners in need.
“We look forward to developing and training even more talented individuals across the capital with the extra support from Sodexo.”
To date, Sodexo had gifted more than £1 million overall to fund 106 apprenticeships to help other organisations across the UK.
As workplaces open up and restrictions lift the role of the FM has become more important than ever.
The challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic are now providing a valuable opportunity for FMs to demonstrate their skills and adaptability. Whilst on a practical level FMs are responsible for making buildings safe and comfortable, they are also crucial in attracting people back to the office.
In speaking with industry leaders, it is clear that there are six key areas of focus. Zip has published a white paper which looks at each one, suggesting ways that facilities managers can tackle the complexities and pace of a return to the workplace, whilst demonstrating clear and effective leadership along the way.
To find out more download the white paper here.
