RAYMOND – Hinds Community College has sponsored a Registered Apprenticeship Truck Driving program with industry partner KLLM Transport Services.
From left, Josh Denson, of Carthage, David Bilbo, of Poplarville, Willie Knight, of Jackson; back row, Wardell Buckley, of Byram, Tony Russell, of Florence, Kevin Webb, of Richland, Matthew Goodwin, of Jackson. All eight are instructors at the KLLM Driving Academy who completed the apprenticeship program.
The KLLM truck driving apprenticeship is a one-year program. The company has eight driving instructors who have completed the program since it was established. Hinds has registered more than 250 truck driving apprentices into the program since June 2018. Through the Hinds partnership with the KLLM Driving Academy, a new cohort of apprentices will be registered weekly with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.
KLLM apprentices will receive a scheduled wage increase based on completing competency benchmarks from the required classroom and on-the-job training. After completing the apprenticeship program, apprentices will earn a KLLM scholarship covering the full tuition of the Truck Driving Academy and a national credential from the U.S. Department of Labor.
“Hinds believes this is a great opportunity to serve KLLM and citizens in our community,” said Josh Bower, Work-Based Learning Coordinator at Hinds Community College. “The Hinds team is excited to see the KLLM apprenticeship program significantly grow over the next year.”
Hinds secured $20,000 in funds to market the trucking apprenticeship program from TransPORTs. The U.S. Department of Labor selected TransPORTs to expand registered apprenticeship in the transportation, distribution, and logistics industry nationwide.
Hinds also continues to collaborate with the Mississippi Apprenticeship Program (MAP) to expand registered apprenticeship programs in the state. MAP is an initiative led by Gov. Phil Bryant’s office, Mississippi Community College Board, Mississippi Department of Employment Security, and Mississippi Development Authority. Hinds was selected as a pilot college in 2017 and is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week during Nov. 12-16, 2018.
For more information on the Truck Driving Academy, contact Glenda Edmondson or Sarah Warren at 601-857-3337.