The initiative has been organised by the National Life Savers Network (NLSN), a platform founded by Nic Careem and designed for CPR and first aid training providers.

It is being led by Trina Tiernan, a committee member of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce and work related learning & employability manager at Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College.

The pilot will launch in Birmingham on Saturday, 26 September at the Park Regis Birmingham Hotel and will provide training for rough sleepers, homeless people, unemployed young people and ex-offenders.

The ambition is to demonstrate a practical, replicable model that can subsequently be developed in communities across the United Kingdom.

NLSN aims to develop participants towards instructor-level training where appropriate and connect trained participants with employers, social enterprises and community organisations.

Participants who successfully complete the initial programme can be encouraged to progress towards further training as CPR and first aid instructors.

Training will be led by experienced practitioners, with the programme designed to maintain appropriate standards, safeguarding and accreditation requirements.

NLSN founder Nic Careem, said: “We’re starting in Ladywood with a simple ambition: to create a community of lifesavers. If we can make it work here, we can take the model across Birmingham and, ultimately, across the country.

“A huge thank you to our Birmingham team, led by ABCC board member Trina Tiernan, for helping us pilot the project in Ladywood, the constituency represented by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP.

“Many of those we train will be young people who feel disenfranchised or lack confidence and self-worth, as well as people experiencing homelessness and those recently released from prison. 

“By giving people the skills and confidence to save a life, we can also help them recognise the value of their own life and their ability to make a positive difference.

“Because when you teach someone to save a life, you can help them discover the value of their own. That’s how we save a life and change a life.”

For more information, email Trina Tiernan or call 07535142212