Scholarship program established for Auburn Career Center's Emergency Services Telecommunicator program

The Emergency Services Telecommunicator program at Auburn Career Center was created when Captain Mike Warner from Lake County Central Communications reached out to ACC about the need for highly trained candidates to work in emergency services dispatch facilities. The curriculum was then developed by Captain Warner and other experts in the field to include 600 hours of instruction, including an internship. The courses are expected to provide standardized education that will help local dispatch centers to reduce training costs and help remedy a shortage of dispatchers. A recently established scholarship program is aimed at encouraging enrollment by reducing cost barriers to prospective students interested in the career.

Captain Warner elaborated when he spoke to News 5 Cleveland about the current on-the-job training process, saying, "You'd get them trained about two or three months and then 'Oh, I can't take this.' We just didn't realize how difficult it was to multitask and handle multiple agencies such as our telecommunicators do today."

With this in mind, the program at ACC was designed by representatives from eight regional dispatch centers. The two month program is geared toward cultivating talented candidates with the right skills. Mentor Communications Supervisor Nina Lombardo-Mylott explained, "They have to be flexible, they have to be resourceful, they have to be able to shift their focus very quickly. They could answer a 911 call from somebody who isn't breathing and they're giving CPR instructions. And the caller is hysterical. They hang up their call and immediately pick up a phone call from somebody who's maybe an elderly citizen who wants to tell their story."

In a recent article from The News-Herald, Captain Warner explained why he saw the need for the Emergency Services Telecommunicator program. The field has changed over the years with new technologies. As Warner said, "Modern-day dispatching is more than sitting behind a microphone and answering a telephone these days."

The program received a boost of support in March when the Lake County commissioners announced a scholarship for students who enroll in the Emergency Services Telecommunicator program. With assistance from the county Clerk of Courts, $20,000 will be used to establish the scholarship fund. Commissioner John Plecnik told The News-Herald that "this will be a premier program in Ohio and I am grateful to the clerk of courts for funding this very important effort. This will provide a qualified talent base for local dispatch centers, including Lake County Central Dispatch, who meet the highest standard."

Officials from Auburn Career Center expressed their excitement for the new program and how it will benefit students and the community. Michelle Rodewald, director of adult workforce education and business partnerships at ACC, said, "The new program meets the needs of the surrounding communities by providing a consistent and comprehensive training program for new telecommunicator dispatchers. Auburn is excited to have the support."