The next generation of Ambulance Victoria recruits will soon hit the road - with 30 new graduates beginning their careers at ambulance branches right across the state.
Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas joined the latest intake of recruits at the Ambulance Victoria Super Response Centre in Westmeadows at their driver training day, as they prepare to hit the road in September.
Over the next 12 months, the graduates will complete their final year of on-road training as part of the Graduate Ambulance Paramedic (GAP) program, responding to real emergencies alongside experienced clinical instructors.
As part of their induction, the intensive driver training provides the learning needed for the safe operation of an ambulance - critical to ensuring they can confidently operate the vehicle during an emergency and with a patient on board.
The graduates will be based at metro branches including Sunshine, Epping, Broadmeadows, Moonee Ponds, Ringwood and Dandenong, with 14 to be deployed to regional branches in Gippsland, Hume and the Loddon Mallee.
During the GAP program, graduates gain hands-on experience working alongside experienced paramedics, helping them transition from the classroom to real-world practice.
Supported by the Allan Labor Government, experienced paramedics are also gaining new opportunities to deliver specialised care to Victorians, with Australia's first Paramedic Practitioners now in training and more Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedics being recruited.
The Victorian Budget 2025/26 invested a further $58.4 million to help improve patient transfers and get paramedics back on the road sooner - critical support at a time when paramedics are responding to more than 98,000 Code One cases every quarter or around 1,000 lights-and-sirens emergencies every day.
The Labor Government has a proven track record of backing Victoria's paramedics - investing more than $2 billion in Victoria's ambulance services - recruiting more than 2,200 additional paramedics, delivering 46 new or upgraded ambulance stations and establishing a new Centre for Paramedicine in partnership with Victoria University.
As stated by Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas
"These graduates are the future of our paramedic workforce - and they'll make a real difference in supporting communities right across Victoria."
"We're putting more paramedics on the road, giving them the best training and support and backing them with record investment so Victorians can get the care they need, when they need it."
