Archbold, Ohio – Northwest State Community College received a grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) in the amount of $98,754 for the Commercial Truck Driver Student Aid Program. A total of $2.54 million was awarded in this round of funding.
ABOUT THE INITIATIVE
Per the original confirmation letter dated November 28, 2023 from Chancellor Randy Gardner at the ODHE, the grant provides “critical financial aid to in-state students who complete a CDL program and agree to reside and be employed in Ohio for a minimum of one year upon completion. (Students) who earn a CDL with this award will help strengthen and grow this high-demand occupation and improve job growth for Ohio’s commercial drivers.”
HOW IT WILL BE ADMINISTERED
The Grant / Loan program provides eligible Ohio residents the opportunity to complete their federally mandated Class A Entry Level Driver Training Program without having to pay any amount of the cost out of pocket initially.
If an individual taking advantage of the program then utilizes their CDL to work for an Ohio based employer (full time, part time, or self-employed) for a duration of 12 months, their loan will then be eligible for complete forgiveness, effectively bringing the out of pocket program cost to $0.00.
This is the third round of funding that Northwest State has been awarded for this specific program. Last round, every single dollar of funding awarded was utilized to completely fund the program cost of 17 Ohio residents.
A similar story can be told for round two, where all funding was utilized to cover the entire program cost for 21 Ohio residents. With this new round of funding, NSCC is on track to fully fund another 15 students in 2024.
The CDL Training Center, Powered by Custom Training Solutions (CTS), has a federally registered Entry Level Driver Training program starting roughly every other week at the NSCC Archbold Campus.
The program is designed to generate safety conscious drivers, while also providing more than just the necessary training needed to pass a CDL driver’s licensing exam. This year (2023), the NSCC CDL Training Center had an overall passing rate of 96%. The result of this effort was the addition of 48 new drivers to our local area.
With the addition of a new instructor and a ramp up in course offerings expected, Northwest State expects to serve approximately 77 students next calendar year (2024). For more information on the CDL program, please visit NorthwestState.edu/cdl or call 419.267.1332 today.
