Two western Virginia community colleges are partnering to train more students to drive tractor trailer trucks.
The presidents of Virginia Western and Mountain Gateway community colleges signed an agreement this morning to collaborate on a program to help students earn their commercial driver's licenses. The deal allows student at Virginia Western to participate in Mountain Gateway's already established CDL program.
The goal is to place more students into an occupation that pays a median salary of nearly $53,000. And, says Virginia Western president Laura Treanor, to fill a workforce gap.
"Across the country we're facing what many are calling a driver gap," Treanor says. "The average age of the commercial driver is 54 years old, and roughly 300,00 drivers every year are sidelined for a variety of reasons. This represents and produces a very significant drain on our supply chains."
Mountain Gateway president John Rainone says the partnership will help more people attain a living wage.
"Community colleges exist to get people to the middle class," says Rainone. "Our students who complete the CDL program, 43% of them earn an average wage increase of $15,000 six months after they complete the program."
The CDL program is designed to use a hybrid format that moves at the student's pace, and provide experience instructors.
State-funded grants are available for qualifying Virginia residents.
