EMT program approved for new grants

Iowa Central is first in the nation to offer Workforce Pell

The emergency medical technician program at Iowa Central Community College is the first course in the nation to offer its students a new form of federal financial aid.

"I'm thrilled to announce that the Iowa Central EMT program is making history as the first approved Workforce Pell program in the nation," U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Tuesday afternoon in Decker Auditorium on the Fort Dodge campus.

"I'm so proud that Iowa Central is leading the way," she added."Congratulations on being pioneers in this effort. Your achievements will set the standard for programs across the country and your success will inspire thousands who will follow in your footsteps."

McMahon, U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and Gov. Kim Reynolds came to Fort Dodge to join college President Jesse Ulrich in signing the documents launching the school's Workforce Pell program.

EMT program graduates and students stood in two rows behind the officials as they made speeches and signed documents.

McMahon said EMT students "represent the front line strength that holds our nation together."

About 150 people were in the auditorium. Outside, a pair of Fort Dodge Fire Department ambulances flanked the east entrance to the auditorium.

Pell grants are a kind of federal student aid that have been available to college students for decades. Generally only students pursuing two year or four year degrees could get them. The federal departments of Education and Labor have worked together over the last couple of years to create a program making those grants available to students in training programs that last eight to 15 weeks. The Iowa Central EMT program is 14 weeks long.

Ulrich said making Workforce Pell available to EMT program students is more than just financial aid. He said it is "an investment in the people who will answer that call, care for our families and save lives across Iowa, especially in rural Iowa like the nine counties that Iowa Central is proud to serve."

Reynolds said "Our need for EMTs remains higher than average, especially in rural areas like Fort Dodge and that need is only going to continue to grow."

"This not only increases our capacity to serve Iowans in emergency situations, but also can literally save lives," she said.

McMahon said an Iowa became the first one to be approved for the Workforce Pell program largely because of the efforts of Reynolds.

"Iowa has just stepped up to the plate all along," she said. "The governor was pushing so hard to put it in place."

McKenzie Snow, director of the Iowa Department of Education, said the state applied for Workforce Pell approval on April 1. That was the first application submitted to the program

The application included nine programs at four community colleges. The Iowa Central EMT program was the first of those to be approved at the federal level and was also the first one approved in the nation.