Graduate Outcomes
We'll publish this data publicly as the program matures and the cohort sample is large enough to be honest about.
The honest version
Zion Fire Academy is early-stage as a structured apprenticeship program. The hire-and-train track that became the Academy has produced credentialed technicians for several years, but we're not going to publish percentages and graduate counts until the sample size is large enough to be genuinely informative.
What we will tell you:
- Every full-time field technician currently at Zion is on a documented NICET track.
- The owner-operator (Joel Sadowsky) holds NICET III in two disciplines and NICET II in a third — meaning every apprentice has access to a credentialed mentor at the senior-most level.
- We will not publish outcomes data until we have a defensible sample.
What we will publish here as the program matures
- Cohort size by intake year
- NICET pass rates by level on first and second attempt
- One-year and two-year retention
- Promotion velocity — average time from apprentice to NICET II to lead technician
- Where graduates who leave Zion end up (we expect a portion to leave and we'll be honest about it)
If you're considering the program
Ask us directly — [email protected]. We'd rather you talk to a real technician than read a stat.