Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf joined U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh in pointing out the importance of apprenticeship programs during the opening of the Yellow Corporation’s new truck-driving apprenticeship program in Carlisle, Pa.
”Apprenticeship programs prepare workers for success by equipping them with the skills to compete for good jobs that offer family-sustaining wages,” Wolf said. “The investments we’re making in apprenticeships and other forms of hands-on and on-the-job training are already helping us get more Pennsylvanians into careers where they can succeed. This is more important than ever as Pennsylvania’s economy continues to rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Wolf’s office said the Yellow CDL Driving Academy, registered through the DOL’s Apprenticeship Program, will offer four weeks of classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training with experienced instructors. The academy is tuition-free, and students are paid to earn their commercial driver’s license (CDL).
“The success of Yellow’s CDL academy in producing some of the safest drivers on the road reflects the great power and promise of apprenticeship to be a proven workforce tool in the trucking industry,” Walsh said. “The trucking apprenticeship challenge has shown that joint labor management programs and public-private partnerships are critical and that we succeed when we work together.”
Wolf’s office said apprenticeships are tools for building a pipeline of skilled workers ready to fill job openings as they become available and baby boomers retire.