Thirty-six high school students who enrolled in the the fourth annual Junior Paramedic Program will graduate on Friday.

The program is offered by the Emergency Medical Services Division of the city's Emergency Services Department.

The graduation ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the John A. Burns School of Medicine Auditorium and will include a skills demonstration by the junior paramedics and culminate with the awarding of their formal certifications.

"This program provides a unique opportunity for students to get involved, learn some lifesaving skills and check out a possible future career," Dr. Elizabeth Char, City Emergency Services Director, said in a news release. "There aren't many opportunities like this that allow students to get an up close view of how the 9-1-1 system and public safety responders work".

Under the direction of veteran paramedics, students learn through classroom instruction as well as field trips that include direct interaction with actual paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other first responders.

"The Junior Paramedic program provides students a rare chance to take a hands-on approach and be directly involved in the lifesaving process," said Patricia Dukes, Chief of the Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Division.

The program is open to students 14 to 17 years old, who have completed their freshman year of high school and have not yet graduated from high school. For more information about the program visit the Honolulu Emergency Services Department's website at: www.honolulu.gov/esd.