$800K grant helping fuel Lamar State College Orange’s expanded Commercial Driver’s License training
Published 3:12 pm Monday, August 8, 2022
- Lamar State College Orange has a 54,000 square feet driving pad and a covered area with a concrete base for seating and instruction. (Courtesy photo)
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Lamar State College Orange shared progress this week on the construction of a new Commercial Driver’s License training facility, made possible by a grant from the Office of Governor Greg Abbott.
The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund awarded LSCO an $800,000 grant to build a 54,000-square feet driving pad and a covered area with a concrete base for seating and instruction, all with enhanced lighting.
“In partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission, we at LSCO have already trained and graduated 120 individuals in our CDL program, but as the demand in this industry is so high, this new CDL facility funded by the Governor’s grant will allow us to put even more people to work immediately,” LSCO President Dr. Tom Johnson said.
Due to incredible demand for truck drivers, this enhanced training facility will help address the driver shortage affecting the national and Texas economies.
Health, Workforce, and Technical Studies Dean Kristin Walker said well-trained and qualified CDL candidates are completing the program and entering the workforce every day.
“Our new CDL training area provides a stable, reliable and safe training ground for our CDL Program,” Walker said. “It is a statement to both our students and business partners that LSCO is committed to CDL training and to creating a pipeline of well-trained potential employees.”
A recent graduate of LSCO’s CDL Program is employed by the construction company completing the project and works on-site driving the heavy machinery required to complete the grant-funded construction.
The new facility creates an acre-and-a-half training ground that allows for simulating backing maneuvers and other critical driving skills on expressly-made training lanes.
The expanded lighting will also allow for evening classes that are not currently possible.
The project will be fully completed by the end of this month.
For more information on LSCO’s CDL Program or to get started with classes, contact workforce@lsco.edu or 409-882-3321.
