business backgrounder | education & workforce
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges , which administers the grant , estimates WA CDL funding will increase CDL students at community and technical colleges by 166 and fund scholarships for 250 students at private / career colleges in 2023 alone .
Recipients of inaugural WA CDL grants are each approaching how they ’ re using their grant money differently .
That ’ s because while they share the goal of filling gaps in Washington ’ s transportation industry , how they get there is tailored to their programs , students and work force .
“ What ’ s so amazing about this grant is how flexible it is ,” said Tamra Gilchrist , Dean of Instruction for Lower Columbia College in Longview . “ We ’ re usually limited by the boundaries of other funding sources that don ’ t always work for CDL programs .”
“ The Legislature understood the extreme shortage we had in CDL drivers and wanted to create some form of educational program that would enhance the number of CDL licenses created ,” said Danny Marshall , Program Manager , Workforce Education for SBCTC .
According to the Washington Trucking Associations , 80 % of Washington communities rely solely on trucks to deliver needed goods . The U . S . Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates the need for truck drivers is expected to grow 4 % by 2031 , with an estimated 259,900 openings nationwide needing to be filled .
Colleges were already seeing this need in the amount of interest their CDL programs garner from local employers . At Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen , one of the WA CDL recipients ,
“ It ’ s the cost that ’ s the barrier . It ’ s not the level of interest .”
— Jennie Bergman , Workforce Education Manager for Lower Columbia College , Longview
The Washington State Legislature funded the WA CDL Grant in the state ’ s 2022 Supplemental Budget
Eight community and technical colleges and four private / career colleges received the first WA CDL grants in December 2022 .
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