Columbia College Receives $500,000 Grant For EMS Apprenticeship

Columbia College a public community college located in Sonora, California was recently awarded a $500,000 grant for the purposes of funding the development of a new pre-apprenticeship program for emergency medical services, beginning this spring students will be able to apply for the program.

The program will be able to help up to 200 participants who will be asked to take Columbia College’s emergency medical responder (EMR) and emergency medical technician (EMT) courses as well as receive CPR, EMS, and EMT certificates. On top of these courses, apprentices will also be asked to take part in workshops, field trips, job shadowing, and soft-skills education.

“The Emergency Medical Services industry is vital to the Mother Lode region and with this grant, we will be able to expand training opportunities for Columbia College students and the community. This project will include collaboration with multiple local agencies and the establishment of a pre-apprenticeship advisory committee to stay on top of the growing need for trained EMS professionals in our community.”

Steve Amador, Dean of Career Technical Education at Columbia College

The new funding comes to Columbia College through the California Apprenticeship Initiative which was created with the intent to expand apprenticeship programs throughout the state while also helping to make programs more accessible to Califonia workers. The new initiative is backed by the California Labor Agency, a state cabinet-level entity intended to coordinate workforce development programs. Students who go on to graduate from the program will then have a clear pathway into becoming an apprentice in the EMS field through California’s Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee.

In accordance with the Division of Apprenticeship standards registered apprenticeships remain a key focus of the California State Workforce Plan. Apprenticeship programs are also expected to play a crucial role in helping the state reach its goal of producing one million middle-skill credentialed workers by 2026. Programs like Columbia College’s apprenticeship will also help the state in its efforts to promote economic recovery following two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.