The Scottish Ambulance Service will invest £5 million to train an additional 200 paramedics with 19 for Tayside and Fife.
The programme will include 50 specialist paramedics with enhanced clinical skills.
More than 60 new staff will be recruited for deployment in Ambulance Control Centres.
New paramedics will be trained from the current cohort of around 1,100 qualified ambulance technicians, supported by a recruitment drive to backfill those who are moving.
The Higher Education Diploma in Paramedic Practice is a 12-month course undertaken at the Scottish Ambulance Service Academy at Glasgow Caledonian University and includes 750 hours of practice placement as well as five weeks’ placement in hospital.
New ambulance technicians will undertake an initial nine weeks of training, followed by 12 months of operational mentored practice then six weeks of classroom study.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “This recruitment drive will enhance the service on offer, and ensure that staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, training and clinical support to be able to deliver even more care in the community.”
