MINNEAPOLIS (June 27, 2022) — The Minnesota Office of Higher Education has awarded Allina Health Emergency Medical Services a grant to provide educational development and career advancement to employees. The Dual Training Pipeline Grant program is designed to help Minnesota employers from different industries provide a combination of related instruction paired with on-the-job training. The grant supports employers in creating or enhancing a competency based, earn-and-learn dual-training approach to meeting workforce needs. Allina Health EMS will use its grant to support current Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) as they train to become paramedics.
“There is an immense need for paramedics in the EMS industry and Allina Health is no different than any other agency in the country,” said Jeff Czyson, director of workforce for Allina Health EMS. “This grant will allow us to train eight EMTs who want to become paramedics, while also helping cover the educational cost required to become a paramedic.”
Czyson says the application process for the EMT staff will be weighted toward those working a casual position (considerably less than fulltime) in one of our rural areas. EMT employees who have been accepted into a paramedic program starting in the 2022 fall semester can apply for this grant. Each recipient must enroll through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for their financial aid to qualify.
Allina Health EMS does not require a scholarship recipient to make a commitment to remain at Allina Health EMS for any length of time. Scholarships funded by the Dual Training Pipeline Grant support our organizational values to help our employees achieve their goals, while helping the industry attract more people to train to become paramedics in our local communities.
Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 14 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.