Veterans Day is next week. This blog has featured stories about veterans and job training in both the public and private sectors on various outlets before.
Now, just in time for Veterans Day, here’s an informational news release from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is part of the United States Department of Transportation.
Although I know some truck drivers aren’t huge fans of the FMCSA, I was pleased to see that it recently awarded $1 million in grants to provide training and job placement for returning veterans. They will be trained for jobs as commercial bus and truck drivers through grants awarded to nine technical and community colleges.
I was especially pleased to see that Metropolitan Community College in Omaha will be provided $47,614 as part of the grant process. The training will benefit nearly 400 new students, according to the news release.
“Those that we entrust to protect and serve our nation deserve opportunities that utilize the skills and training they received on the job on military bases overseas and at home,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in the news release. “We can think of none more appropriate to safeguard our highways as commercial vehicle drivers than the thousands of veterans who have already proven they can safely handle large vehicles under extremely stressful circumstances.”
In addition, earlier this year, FMCSA expanded the Military Skills Test Waiver Program to include all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This means that “state licensing agencies have authority to waive the skills test portion of the CDL application for active duty or recently separated veterans who possess at least two years of safe driving experience operating a military truck or bus. Waiving the skills test expedites the civilian commercial drivers licensing application process and reduces expenses for qualified individuals and operating costs to state licensing agencies.”
Thanks again to all veterans and their loved ones for their service. I hope these job training efforts will help some vets find a good fit in civilian life.