24th May 2023
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are pleased to announce the launch of the RCN Prince of Wales Cadet Scheme in Northern Ireland. Working in partnership with RCN, the Southern Regional College and the wider Northern Ireland College Network, NIAS will play a key role in delivering the scheme to those young people whose applications for the scheme have been successful.
The scheme will be delivered in two parts. Forty hours of the scheme will be delivered in the classroom environment, with a further twenty hours of observational placements and experiential learning within NIAS.
The scheme aims to develop and prepare young people, whatever their background, for life and to support them towards employment in a range of healthcare roles.
It engages, enables, and empowers young people to make a valuable contribution to society and, through clinical and academic exposure, contribute to the health and well-being of young people across the United Kingdom.
Head of the RCN Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme, Prof Dave Clarke, welcomed the launch of the scheme in NI, saying;
“I’m incredibly pleased that we are working with NIAS and the Regional Colleges to launch the Prince of Wales Cadet Scheme in Northern Ireland. I hope this gives young people in the region even more opportunities to consider nursing and wider healthcare roles as a career choice for the future”.
NIAS Chief Executive, Michael Bloomfield, expressed his support for the scheme, saying;
“NIAS is delighted to partner with both the RCN and Southern Regional College in launching the Prince of Wales Nursing Cadet Scheme in Northern Ireland. We have a wide range of observational placements to offer across the organisation, which we believe will provide excellent development opportunities for cadets wishing to consider a career in healthcare”.
Notes to editor.
- The cadet scheme was first launched in Wales in 2019 and has since, with subsequent launches in England (2020) and Scotland (2023).
- The scheme is open to young people aged 16 to 25 from across Northern Ireland.
- Applications will open via the College Networks in the coming weeks and the first group of 20 cadets drawn from across the region will join us in October 2023.
- The cadets will gain a certificate of completion and an alumni pin on completion of the scheme.