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Okanagan College, together with the provincial government, are working towards creating incentives to encourage Canadians to enter the truck driving profession, one which incentives is a tuition-free program. In the provincial government's Labour Market Outlook 2022, transport truck drivers were identified as number two in the ten-in-demand professions. It's estimated that the province will need as much as 18,000 drivers by 2022.
“Those numbers are staggering,” says Steve Moores, Okanagan College's Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship. “But the College is partnering with the government to fill that gap and provide workers with the skills they need to be competitive in the future.”
Seven years ago, Okanagan College paired up with Taylor Pro Training, a leader in truck driver training, to offer Class 1 Driver Training. The course is a full-time program and covers the broad range of hands-on skills necessary to qualify as a transport truck driver. The course can be completed in six weeks.
The grim reality of the shortage of truck drivers in B.C. has influenced the provincial government to provide full funding for the Class 1 Driver Training program to eligible applicants through the Canada-British Columbia Job Fund. Last year alone, 29 out of the 32 students who participated in the tuition-free program found employment in the trucking industry.
In order to be eligible for the funding, applicants must be unemployed, legally entitled to work in Canada, a resident of B.C., not currently receiving employment insurance or have not recently received it in the last three years; not enrolled in high school or another post-secondary training program, and not participating in another government funded program.
The Class 1 Driver Training program has several new training facilities across the Okanagan including, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm, Vernon, and Penticton.
For more information on the program, eligibility, and funding, contact Shawna Klempner at 250-762-5445, extension 4479 or toll-free at 1-877-755-2266, ext 4479.
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