A group of students smiling

In mid-May, 19 students from Chesterfield County Public Schools became the first graduates of a groundbreaking emergency telecommunications course.

This is the first class of its kind in Virginia where high school seniors learn the daily operations of a 911 center and prepare for a career in emergency communications. Students who successfully complete the training qualify to work as 911 dispatchers — and about half of this year’s graduates are applying for jobs with the Chesterfield County Emergency Communications Center.

The emergency telecommunications course is available through the Career and Technical Center.