SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Mohawk Ambulance Service recently began its Fall 2017 EMT Training Course with eight students accepted from Schenectady Social Enterprise and Training Center (SEAT). The SEAT Center provides education and training programs for underrepresented populations, businesses, and communities, with a strong focus on serving young adults, ages 16-24 years old. Mohawk Ambulance works with the SEAT Center as an employer partner to accept qualified candidates into their EMT training program.

Mohawk Ambulance Service has remained committed to providing education opportunities to those who may not otherwise have the means to pursue a career in the EMS industry. Last year, Mohawk introduced a free EMT training course as a way of recruiting new talent into the field. This program has yielded many successful graduates who now work with the company. This current training program is the third course Mohawk has offered to candidates free of charge.

The career preparation training that candidates receive through the SEAT Center is augmented by physical and mental soft skills tests. Those who make it through the preliminary screening are enrolled in Mohawk’s course which blends classroom learning with hands-on training and ride-alongs with Mohawk personnel in service. Students are also assigned a SEAT tutor with whom they work twice a week, helping them master time management and study skills, and ensuring they have the best opportunity to successfully complete the certificate program.

“Mohawk Ambulance Service established a thorough orientation program to ensure our high standards for excellent emergency medical care are consistently provided by all of our team members,” said James McPartlon, III, president, Mohawk Ambulance Service. “We are pleased to have this group of smart and talented individuals in our current EMT training program and taking the first steps toward providing assistance to those in need in our local communities.”

“This career path is attractive to many of our students for the advanced training it provides and the advancement opportunities available within the EMS field,” said Jennifer Lawrence, executive director of the SEAT Center. “We’ve found a great partnership with Mohawk Ambulance. The intensive program they offer provides a participatory learning environment that has shown to be absolutely beneficial to our students and their development as EMS professionals.”

Prior to this current course, the SEAT Center has placed 24 students in training with Mohawk Ambulance as part of the Center’s EMS career track. The center also offers a career track in the construction/energy efficiency field and will soon be introducing a program for students looking to pursue a career in the culinary arts.

Earlier this year, Mohawk’s Training Center staff received the “Educators of Excellence” Award presented by the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of the Hudson-Mohawk Valley (REMSCO).

About The Social Enterprise and Training (SEAT) Center:
Our mission is to provide transformative educational and workforce experiences that create a sense of purpose and hope in our communities and connect businesses to real-time solutions. SEAT offers a growing branch of social enterprise services that support academic and workforce development of underrepresented young people, who are underemployed, unemployed and/or have dropped out of high school. SEAT provides access to career development and academic support services, including project based, high school equivalency classes and workforce training in Green Construction, Energy Efficiency, and Healthcare.

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