Indiana College Launches CDL+ Training Program

By Reagan Payne

It is clear to anyone involved in the trucking industry there is a crippling driver shortage. In an effort to shorten the gap between driver supply and demand, a junior college in Indiana is launching a brand new CDL training program.

Beginning in January 2021 Ivy Tech Community College is offering CDL+, a course aimed towards recent or upcoming high school graduates looking to join an in-demand field.

Partnering with Conexus Indiana, a group focused on creating strategies and programs to strengthen the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, Ivy Tech identified industries locally that desperately need new workers. Providing this certification with the newly approved help of government loans and state grants, the economy is sure to be stimulated once these drivers hit the road.

About the program

The course will be available at five different Ivy Tech campuses as well as eight additional locations later in the year. It’s designed to be completed within only one semester, equipping students to become employees more quickly than any other offered program. Being a 17 credit-hour course, it is an ideal semester workload for the average college student.

Upon completion, these drivers will have obtained 160 hours of training for the Class A Commercial Driver’s License, but this training goes beyond earning the bare-minimum license and prepares students for an in-demand career. They will gain 121 hours of operation observation, 30 hours of behind-the-wheel training, an eight-week internship with an overview of logistics, transportation, and intermodal processes.

Community, industry impact

With financial barriers and constraints in mind, this curriculum is now covered by federal student loans just like any other course you might take at the college. The state of Indiana is also attempting to make sure CDL+ is eligible for Workforce Ready Grants.

This is huge for the trade industry. Not only does it level the financial playing field between those getting these certificates and students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree, but reduces the financial strain on companies trying to train drivers on their own dime before they can even begin work.

“With insight from our industry partners, we designed a program that removes financial barriers for students, gives them educational credits for future career development, and delivers a work-ready workforce for trucking companies,” Ivy Tech President Dr. Sue Ellspermann said. “We provide additional logistics training that creates a very well-qualified worker for the supply chain industry.”

Bryce Carpenter, vice president of industry engagement for Conexus, is a key player in getting this program up and running. He recognizes the value the CDL+ program will have on companies eager to find educated and operationally efficient workers fresh out of this college program.

The college has been under pressure by lawmakers to increase its role in preparing the state’s workforce. This program is just a small part of Ellspermann’s five-year strategic plan; she aims to double degree output to meet the demands of Indiana’s workforce. The most over-arching goal this plan aims to achieve is to increase per-capita income and support the transformation of the state’s economy.

This CDL+ program will not only make it easier for residents of Indiana to pursue an in-demand career in truck driving but encourage other programs around the country to do the same. Truck driver school enrollment is down 40 percent nationwide. Ivy Tech is taking a step to fill that void.

Reagan Payne is a staff writer for Wright Media. She can be reached at rpayne@wrightmediacorp.com

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