A PLEA for student paramedics by the West Midlands Ambulance Trust has attracted an impressive number of potential recruits.

The trust, which covers Worcestershire, received 454 inquiries for 70 vacancies that were advertised on the NHS Jobs website for a week.

Louise Harris, the trust’s recruitment advisor, said: "We’ve had such a fantastic response to our latest student paramedic recruitment drive. It just shows what a sought after job it is.

"Our recruitment team have worked incredibly hard to look at the hundreds of applications to shortlist a total of 240 candidates. By now, applicants should have received an email from NHS Jobs to advise them whether they’ve been successful or not.

"The main reason for applicants not being shortlisted was that they hadn’t applied for their category C1 driving license prior to applying for the student paramedic vacancy.

"I’d like to thank each and every applicant for their interest in the role and wish those who have been shortlisted the best of luck in the stage one assessments which are taking place next week."