‘What great career opportunities these are’: Central Georgia Tech gets $1M to train truck drivers

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The Central Georgia Technical School truck driving program is about to get larger. 

Coca-Cola Firm partnered with the Technical School System of Georgia to donate $1 million to the foundations Business Truck Driving Program. Central Georgia acquired about $200,000 that will likely be used to rent extra truck driving instructors. 

“Final 12 months, we had over three to 400 purposes and we are able to solely take 20 to 25 college students in a category,” mentioned program chair Tim English.

Earlier than changing into a truck driver in 2013, English was within the Air Power. He got here to CGTC to get his industrial drivers license (CDL). After driving for about six years, he made the swap to being an teacher. English says including extra instructors would assist tremendously.

“After I graduate my teacher instructed me at some point if I obtained bored with being over the highway, I ought to attempt to come again and be an teacher, so that is what I did,” English mentioned.

Based on the Georgia Division of Transportation, truckers transfer 430 million tons of products throughout the state every year. Dean of Aerospace, Commerce & Business Michael Engel says including extra instructors will assist the truck driver scarcity. 

“That is going to fund three new full-time college positions for us. Every of these equate to about 28 college students a 12 months extra that we are able to take, so we’re growing the variety of licensees that we put out a 12 months by 78 college students.”

Different faculties who acquired the grant included Southern Regional, Savannah and Athens Technical School. In complete, 22 technical faculties acquired a break up of the $1 million. Coca-Cola and the inspiration hope that including extra Georgia truck drivers will cut back the present scarcity.

“We’re shining a lightweight now particularly on the commerce and business varieties of jobs issues like industrial truck driving to attempt to simply to let folks know what nice profession alternatives these are,” Engel mentioned.

English says that if you wish to develop into a driver and get your CDL, you could have a clear driving file and “your driving historical past is just about your resume.”