EMS Corps

What EMS Corps does

EMS Corps is a national non-profit workforce-development program that recruits young adults aged 18-26 facing barriers to employment — including those with foster-care or justice-system involvement — and trains them for careers in emergency medical services, allied health, and fire services. The program operates on a 5-month cohort-based model with 20 participants per cohort, providing more than double the training hours of a standard EMT program, combined with wraparound services such as counseling, coaching, mentorship, a monthly stipend, and post-graduation job placement. Reported outcomes include an 85%+ program completion rate and an 85%+ employment rate one year after graduation, with 90% employment 12 months out in the New Mexico cohort. EMS Corps was founded in 2012 in Alameda County, California in partnership with the Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA) and is operated under the parent organization Public Works Alliance (PWA), a social-justice non-profit. By 2025 the program had expanded to roughly 14 active sites across California (10), New Mexico, New Jersey, and Louisiana, with committed Fall 2026 launches in Baltimore (with Baltimore City Fire Department) and Atlanta (with Grady EMS Academy), and a cumulative 500+ graduates across all sites. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the program runs on a braided funding strategy combining local workforce-development boards, child-serving systems (e.g., NM CYFD), public health departments, philanthropy (e.g., GreenLight Fund), and state workforce agencies (notably the California Employment Development Department for the 10-site 2025 expansion). Underlying technology is a PWA-managed digital platform that handles marketing, application processing, student communication, digital curriculum delivery, satisfaction and employment tracking, and cross-site performance metrics — administrative infrastructure rather than a productized SaaS offering.

Name

EMS Corps

Legal name

EMS Corps

Website

https://emscorps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

EMS Corps is a non-profit workforce-development program that trains young adults aged 18-26 facing employment barriers for careers in EMT, allied health, and fire services through 5-month cohorts combining rigorous EMT training with wraparound support and job placement, operating across 14+ sites nationwide under parent Public Works Alliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Training

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

EMS Education, Training & Simulation Centers (HLAFANAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Medical Services (EMT/Paramedic) Training (EDAOAMAC)

Keywords

• EMT training programs
• Workforce development services
• Emergency medical training
• Youth career pathways
• Community health workforce

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda County

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding - Workforce Development: Funding from local workforce development boards and agencies to support training and employment programs for young adults.
2. Public Funding - Child-Serving Systems: Funding from local child-serving systems including child welfare, foster care, and juvenile justice agencies to support system-involved youth in career pathways.
3. Public Funding - Public Health: Funding from public health departments to address EMS worker shortages and improve community health infrastructure.
4. Philanthropic Funding: Funding from philanthropic organizations and donors to support program operations, expansion, and wraparound services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EMS Corps delivers a 5-month cohort-based EMT training program combining more than double the hours of a standard EMT program with job readiness training and comprehensive wraparound support (counseling, coaching, mentorship, monthly stipend, and job placement) for young adults aged 18-26 facing barriers to employment in EMS, allied health, and fire careers. Cohorts of 20 participants are recruited from workforce development systems, child-serving agencies, and community outreach, and trained across physical sites in partnership with local fire departments, universities, and government agencies.

Product overview

EMS Corps is a workforce development program, not a traditional software product. It provides a 5-month cohort-based EMT training program combined with wraparound support services (counseling, coaching, mentorship, monthly stipend, job placement) for young adults aged 18-26 facing barriers to employment in EMS, allied health, and fire careers. The program offers rigorous EMT training exceeding standard program hours, along with job readiness and career exposure. PWA (Public Works Alliance) operates a digital platform for administrative functions including marketing, application management, student communication, digital curriculum housing, satisfaction/employment tracking, and data collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EMS Corps Training Program A 5-month cohort-based EMT training program combining more than double the hours of a standard EMT program with job readiness training, counseling, coaching, mentorship, a monthly stipend, and job placement assistance, designed for young adults aged 18-26 facing barriers to careers in EMS, allied health, and fire services. Delivered free to participants through physical training sites co-established with local fire departments, universities, and government agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85%+ employment rate 1 year after program completion
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and major.

• Baltimore City Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Local fire department partnership for Baltimore site launching Fall 2026. Will provide training facilities and employment pathways.
• Grady EMS AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Healthcare system partnership for Atlanta site launching Fall 2026. Provides EMS training infrastructure and career connections.
• CA EDD (California Employment Development Department)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025State workforce agency partnership for California 10-site expansion. Supports funding and workforce development integration across California locations.
• SF Fire (San Francisco Fire Department)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025City EMT program partnership providing training facilities and pathways to employment for San Francisco site.
• Public Works Alliance (PWA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Parent organization and founder of EMS Corps. PWA is a social justice nonprofit focused on systems change and workforce development. Responsible for national expansion, administrative infrastructure, digital platform, and maintaining program fidelity across all sites.
• Newark Opportunity Youth NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Community organization partnership for Newark site. Focuses on opportunity youth (ages 16-24 not in school or working) career development.
• GreenLight FundmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Philanthropic organization supporting Newark site launch. Part of national network helping cities invest in proven programs.
• New Mexico CYFD (Children, Youth and Families Department)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021State child welfare agency partnership for Albuquerque site. Supports system-involved youth (foster care, juvenile justice) in accessing career pathways.
• Albuquerque Fire and RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Local fire department partnership for New Mexico site. Provides training facilities, clinical rotations, and employment pathways for graduates.
• University of New MexicomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Academic partnership for New Mexico site. Supports educational components, credit pathways, and healthcare career connections.
• LEMSA (Local Emergency Medical Services Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Original partnership for Alameda County EMS Corps site. LEMSA serves as the local regulatory authority for emergency medical services and collaborates on program design and implementation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: National workforce development nonprofit providing skills training, wraparound support, stipends, and job placement for opportunity youth (typically 18–24). Operates a cohort-based model similar to EMS Corps and is one of the largest direct comparables on training + support structure for the same population.
• Per Scholas: Nonprofit offering tuition-free, cohort-based technical training plus wraparound supports (coaching, stipends, job placement) for adults from underserved communities. Comparable on cohort-based vocational training, wraparound intensity, and employer-aligned outcomes, though focused on IT rather than EMS.
• NPower: Workforce development nonprofit training opportunity youth and veterans in technology skills with wraparound services and job placement support. Closely comparable on mission, target population (system-involved and opportunity youth), and cohort-based tuition-free model.
• Homeboy Industries: Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing wraparound services (counseling, mentorship, training, job placement) for formerly gang-involved and justice-involved individuals. Highly comparable on serving system-involved populations with wraparound + vocational training, though in a different trade (not EMS).
• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): Nonprofit focused exclusively on providing employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Comparable on serving system-involved populations, immediate job placement focus, and braided public funding streams (workforce development + corrections/justice agencies).
• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing housing, wraparound support, education, and workforce training for youth aged 16–24 experiencing homelessness and trafficking. Comparable on target age range (18–26), opportunity-youth focus, and combination of wraparound services with vocational pathways.
• Project QUEST: San Antonio-based nonprofit providing sector-based skills training (healthcare, IT, skilled trades) plus wraparound support and career advancement services for low-income adults. Comparable on sector-specific vocational training, wraparound intensity, and strong post-program employment outcomes.
• GRID Alternatives: National nonprofit providing solar installation training and job placement for underserved communities including opportunity youth. Comparable on workforce training for opportunity youth in a high-demand sector with wraparound support and placement services, though focused on clean energy rather than EMS.

Broad incumbents

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit intermediary that designs and scales workforce development and education-to-career pathways. Comparable as a broader workforce-development ecosystem player, though it operates more as a policy/intermediary organization than a direct training provider.

Others

• National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO): Trade and policy association representing state EMS offices that regulate EMS training, certification, and workforce. EMS Corps partners closely with local EMS agencies (e.g., LEMSA) and operates in a regulatory environment shaped by NASEMSO's standards — relevant as a sector ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ems-corps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EMS Corps