You’re probably pretty familiar with the idea of apprenticeship – learn a craft by working under a master, grow in knowledge and experience at the same time, until you can stand as an expert in your own right. It’s been popular for a long time in certain trades – construction, electrical engineering, and the like…and now we’ve brought the model to emergency management!

Partnering with Maryland’s Department of Labor, MACEM&PS and FCC have built the Emergency Management Specialist registered apprenticeship: a 3-year program where an apprentice is paired with a host employer that has emergency management duties (e.g., business continuity, risk management, emergency planning), and splits their time between working at a pro-rated salary for that employer and studying academic EM with us! Along the way, they’ll learn the theory and the practice of the field from our expert instructors, and their mentors on the job. And at the end, they’ll come out of it all with an A.A.S. degree in Emergency Management, a registered apprenticeship certificate from the state…and maybe even a job, if their host employer is inclined to keep their position in place!

(In fact, that last part’s kind of the idea: employers training students to be precisely the kind of emergency management professionals they need, at a discount, so they can have a custom workforce ready to go.)

We’re just summarizing here – if you want to dig into the details and benefits further (or just download a bunch of cool promotional resources), you can check out all the programs and data FCC’s got to offer.

And if you’re already hooked and want to get in touch – as an apprentice or as an employer that might like to host apprentices, you can email Special Projects Manager Steve Carter (scarter@frederick.edu) and he will be more than happy to get you the info you need!