Mainstreet Daily News
Gainesville Police Department (GPD) will host an open house for its new Public Service Academy on Saturday.
The event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon at the GPD headquarters on 545 NW 8th Ave.
The Public Service Academy is a pre-apprenticeship program designed to assist youth and young adults in obtaining the required education and training necessary for a career in law enforcement, fire/rescue, EMS, or utility service with the city of Gainesville.
The program is facilitated through the collaborative efforts of Gainesville, Santa Fe College, and CareerSource of North Central Florida. This partnership intends to help individuals with career opportunities in those three specific fields.
Candidates who meet the qualification will be provided educational and training assistance based on identified deficiencies in education, knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Public Service Academy graduates hired into the program may have an opportunity to progress through their chosen discipline to become full-time paid employees with benefits. However, there is no guarantee of employment.
The focus of this program isn’t just providing a job but assisting youth and young adults in starting a career in their selected profession.
Individuals in the program will get paid $15 per hour and become certified in CPR, first aid, and computer skills from Santa Fe.
The city of Gainesville will pay wages for people who qualify and attend the Public Service Academy training session for the first month and will continue to pay for 10 hours per week, 520 hours per year, $15 per hour.
The program runs from Feb. 21 through March 14.
The following is the full program schedule:
Tuesday, Feb. 21 — Microsoft Word/Excel
Thursday, Feb. 23 — PowerPoint and Communications and Team Building
Tuesday, Feb. 28 — Workplace Violence and Sexual Harassment
Thursday, March 2 — CPR, AED, Fire Extinguisher and First Aid
Tuesday, March 7 — Emotional Intelligence and Diversity
Thursday, March 9 — NIMS
Tuesday, March 14 — Post Assessment and Graduation