The college will begin a hybrid EMT academy covering two 16-week sessions. The new academy expands on that, allowing anyone over 17 to sign up, whether they are still in high school, or carrying a full-time job in some other sector of the workforce. “We have several high school academies throughout our 10-county area, and the high school director approached us on being able to put an EMT academy together and how that would work,” said Amy Hammack, IHCC’s executive director of continuing education and workforce solutions (CEWS). As part of the academy, students will learn various aspects of EMS, from CPR to critical thinking in emergencies. “Then, if they want to come back the following February, they could enter the paramedic program, and then from February to November, they would be completed in their paramedic,” Hammack said.