PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — A grant from the Pflugerville Community Development Corp. and a matching grant from the Texas Workforce Commission will fund $300,000 in equipment and training supplies for a successful medical training program provided to Pflugerville-area high school students.
The two $150,000 grants benefit the Emergency Medical Technician Academy provided through a collaboration between the Pflugerville school district and Fire Department. In its second year, student enrollment in the program has tripled.
Students who enroll in the program are able to become certified EMTs by the Texas Department of State Health Services and create a foundation for further education in the medical field. The curriculum includes life-saving techniques, pharmacology and other medical courses.
The city corporation and Workforce Solutions Capital Area Board presented ceremonial checks for the program at the corporation’s quarterly breakfast Thursday at the Typhoon Texas Conference Center.
“With the expansion of this program, students from all four (school district) high school Health Science programs now have an opportunity to train for a career as an EMT,” Superintendent Doug Killian said in a news release.
City corp. Executive Director Amy Madison said for years the organization has been seeking the right partnerships to provide funding. The corporation, which acts as the economic arm of the city, is mostly funded through a portion of city sales taxes.
“In the end, our efforts brought together five different government agencies to benefit a workforce program that serves our local emergency medical employers, and ultimately will help save lives in our community,” Madison said in the news release.
The EMT Academy began at Connally and Hendrickson high schools before expanding to other high schools this year. Students in the academy attend three-hour instructional blocks to complete 270 hours of classroom time, 48 hours at a hospital to observe clinical treatment and a 60-hour field internship on an ambulance.
The news release noted that the Bureau of Labor Statistics data show employment of EMTs and paramedics is expected to grow by 33% between 2010 and 2020 — representing a higher than average rate than many other occupations.
The High Demand Job Training program, enacted under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, allows for local workforce boards and economic development corporations to partner to provide funding for programs that address skill gaps and ensures a talent pipeline for jobs and professions that are in critical need of fulfillment.
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