Debra Haggerton, Truck Driving Instructor, assists Jonathan Torres, VC student as he trains using the truck simulator.
Victoria College will soon launch its own truck driving course, thanks to a pair of grants from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
A Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) grant will fund the course to meet the regional demand for professionally trained truck drivers.
The Texas Workforce Commission projects a 33 percent increase in truck driving jobs across all industries hiring truck drivers in the Golden Crescent region through 2030.
Last year, VC received $115,000 in Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) TRUE funding to purchase a state-of-the-art truck driving simulator that allows instructors to simulate real-word scenarios in the course, which trains students in the safe operation of commercial vehicles, including semi-trailers. This year, the college received an additional $515,200 in funding to begin its own truck driving course leading to a Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL).
Since 2006, VC’s truck driving course has been offered through a partnership with Houston Community College. With the demand still on the rise after 17 years, the new course will allow more flexibility in scheduling training that meets the needs of the Crossroads community.
The TRUE funding will be used to purchase four semi-trucks for use in truck driving classes in Victoria and Gonzales. The vehicles will have additional seating in place of the sleeper unit for teaching.
Grant funds will also be used to train instructors.
“We are grateful to Houston Community College for partnering with us to meet the demand for well-trained truck drivers here in our region over the last 17 years,” said Dr. Jennifer Kent, VC President. “With the TRUE grant funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Victoria College is now at a place where we are able to purchase our own trucks and hire our own instructors, which will allow us more flexibility in scheduling training when it is needed most.”
Truck driving is in especially high demand in VC's seven-county region, as evidenced by a listing on the Target & Demand Occupation List for the Golden Crescent Workforce Development Board. Regional employers that hire truck drivers include chemical, utilities, construction, agriculture, retail and trucking companies.
During the past three academic years, 162 students have completed VC’s truck driving course and obtained a Class A CDL.
The new truck driving course will give VC the capacity to train up to eight students in Victoria and up to four students in Gonzales every six weeks.
For more information on VC’s truck driving course, visit VictoriaCollege.edu/IndustrialTrades or call (361) 573-3291.