Governor announces grant to expand Bevill State’s EMT training program in northwest Alabama

MONTGOMERY— Gov. Robert Bentley has announced an $81,200 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to help more students qualify for jobs as emergency medical technicians in Pickens, Fayette, Marion and Walker counties.  

Bevill State Community College will use the grant to purchase an ambulance training laboratory and to help cover the cost to offer the training program in four locations.

“This equipment will give Bevill State’s EMT students more realistic training through hands-on experience which will better prepare them for real-world scenarios,” Bentley said. “Being better-trained will help these future EMTs to be more attractive to employers and enhance their ability to start a career in the medical field.”

Bevill State officials said the new equipment will directly benefit at least 40 students per year who are expected to complete the short-term EMT certificate program. The majority of those students are expected to gain employment as an EMT with many furthering their education to become a paramedic or professional in another health-care field. 

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program in Alabama along with a wide range of other programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.

“Career training programs are important to workforce development,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said. “This training program is helping students qualify for in-demand jobs in the state’s growing health care industry. ADECA is proud to support this program and have a hand in preparing the next generation of EMTs to serve northwest Alabama.”

Congress established the ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in the Appalachian mountain region, which includes 37 Alabama counties.

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Contact: Russell Sellers, Mike Presley