Wake County Emergency Medical Services sees an increasing need for qualified emergency medical technicians to support the growing population in Wake County. The challenge? Recruiting enough people to fill these roles and ensure residents receive emergency service when required. The solution? ApprenticeshipNC.

“We decided to go the apprenticeship route about a year ago to draw more people into the profession,” says Donald Garner Jr., deputy director and chief of professional development at Wake EMS. “It was a simple process to work through with our ApprenticeshipNC consultant. We just sat down with our consultant and did the paperwork, then continued what we were already doing in terms of training. It formalized the process and made it a win-win.”

Wake EMS currently promotes the program to those attending EMT classes at area high schools and by attending job fairs, especially those aimed at individuals leaving the military. Wake County currently has one of the few registered apprenticeship programs for EMS in North Carolina, says Garner. “It’s a great opportunity for individuals looking for a good-paying career that doesn’t require them going into debt or taking student loans. We teach them everything they need to know to do the job.”

After the interview, Garner mentioned having second thoughts about sharing the Wake EMS story: “Maybe we should wait a few years before we tell everyone about this. After all, with a national shortage of EMTs, we don’t want all the other counties in North Carolina to start programs to compete with ours!”