Chattanooga State Receives $12.2 Million to Curb Freight Driver Shortage

The truck-driver shortage increased during Covid-19, but Chattanooga State Community College is working to curb this crisis by preparing students for success in transportation and logistics.

Through the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), Chattanooga State offers students the tools and hands on learning that allows them to enter the workforce in as early as one year.

TCAT offers many certification programs for those students interested in pursuing a career in logistics, including a commercial truck driving certificate program and diesel equipment technology diploma program.

Recently, Chattanooga State received a $12.2 million state grant to fund an expansion of their logistics training programs and further their efforts of supplying the needs of Chattanooga industries. They plan to relocate and expand their training toward placing more students through TCAT while helping them secure their Commercial Driving Licenses (CDL).

They are also partnering with U.S. Xpress to create a new logistics-based Future Ready Institute. Future Ready Institutes are a dual-enrollment pathway for high school students in Hamilton County to receive career-specific training, better preparing them to enter the work force after graduation.

Per the Times Free Press, Chattanooga State is also offering a new associate’s degree program for applied sciences and business management with a concentration in logistics and a two-week freight broker training class starting in June. They’re also accommodating students through short-term programs or longer, two-year programs.

These additions to their logistics programs will help many students build a career they can thrive in and help curb the nationwide truck-driver shortage.

Learn more about the Chattanooga State Community College programs through Tennessee College of Applied Technology, here.

Find more information on Future Ready Institutes, here.

Read an article on Future Ready Institutes, here.

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