A partnership with information technology company Hexagon will effectively double the capacity of MacEwan University’s Emergency Communications and Response program through a new distance offering.
The partnership agreement, which represents a $1.5-million software contribution from Hexagon, brings the latest version of the company’s computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software to the university’s emergency communication and response program. Not only will on-campus students build skills using the same cutting-edge technology used in professional dispatch settings across North America, but a new cohort of distance students will be able to access the eight-month certificate program.
“This partnership opens up new career opportunities for people, regardless of where they choose to study from,” says Tim Williams, chair of the Department of Public Safety and Justice Studies in the Faculty of Health and Community Studies. “Considering the high demand for communication officers across a range of sectors, this is the perfect time to expand and introduce a distance offering of our program.”
Beginning in Fall 2023, in addition to its on-campus offering, MacEwan will be opening the program to distance learners studying remotely using Hexagon’s HxGN OnCall Dispatch software.
“Training the public safety professionals of tomorrow is vital to ensuring a safer future for everyone,” says Ben Ernst, vice president and general manager, North America Public Safety, Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. “We are thrilled to support the Emergency Communications and Response program at MacEwan University by providing students hands-on experience with the technologies they’ll use in the field."
Students in MacEwan’s Emergency Communication and Response program – the only one of its kind in Western Canada – receive real-world knowledge and practical skills that prepare them to work in traditional public safety settings as well as the wide range of organizations that use consolidated communication centres to coordinate call-taking and dispatching.
“It’s a short but rigorous program that prepares students for an attractive career path with good pay and high demand,” says Doug Johnson, assistant professor. “Our graduates have successful careers in a wide range of challenging, dynamic workplaces – from police, fire and ambulance to transportation, protective services, forestry and more.”
Applications for the Fall 2022 intake of the Emergency Communications and Response program are now open.