The Central Region Missouri Job Centers will host multiple CDL training events in November, providing financial assistance in the training and placement for those desiring to become truck drivers. Missouri has experienced a driver shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and poor retention rates.
CDL training rates can cost upwards of over $4,000, adding a barrier to job seekers who wish to pursue truck driving as a career pathway. The Central Region Job Centers seek to remove that barrier thanks to WIOA (Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act) funding. WIOA is designed to strengthen and improve the nation’s public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.
For qualified participants, this opportunity will provide paid training as well as job placement.
There is an extremely high demand for both over-the-road and local truck drivers. We’re doing everything we can to help remove the barrier to employment for job seekers who may not be able to afford training, as well as provide employers with ready and willing team members who play an important role in keeping our economy moving in the right direction.
Sundi Jo Graham, Communications Coordinator, Central Workforce Development Region
Applicants must bring their driver’s license and social security card to the funding event, as well as meet one of the following requirements:
- Low-Income status (check stubs or statement from employer, for the past 6 months (180 days) – or – Name of employer that previously laid-off or terminated you from employment (anytime), which resulted in your receipt of weekly Unemployment Insurance payments.
- Currently receive food stamps or live in a household that receives food stamps and are included in the case as a family member – or – recently discharged from active duty military service.
Interested candidates can learn more at cwdregion.com/cdl or call 417.532.6146.
Other services are available at Central Region Job Centers for both employers and job seekers. Employer services include talent search assistance through the MoJobs database, the ability to reach out to UI recipients, retention assistance, labor market information, ACT Workkeys and NCRC testing, hiring incentives, and veterans services. Job seeker services include job search assistance, free resource computers, career and training services, workshops, skill assessments, work-based learning, and more.
The work done to assist the communities of mid-Missouri is a collective effort of the Central Ozarks Private Industry Council (COPIC), the Office of Workforce Development, and the Central Workforce Development Board, along with numerous community partners. Services are provided through four comprehensive Job Centers, four satellite locations and an administrative office.