COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Columbus Technical College announces the start of construction on a new Commercial Truck Driving (CTD) training range.
The Columbus Technical College joined local, state, and national officials along with the Pezold Management Group to celebrate the groundbreaking event on 2339 Fort Benning Road, for their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), and the future home of the Veterans Education Career Resource Transition (VECTR) Workforce Development Center today.
Speakers at this event included:
· Jack Pezold (Pezold Management Group)
· Ray Perren (TCSG Deputy Commissioner)
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· MG (RET) Patrick Donahoe
· Mayor Skip Henderson
· Gary Allen (Columbus City Council)
· Kenneth Cutts (Chief of Staff, U.S. Congress)
· Brenda Williams (Senator Warnock’s Office)
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· Senator Ed Harbison
· State Representative Vance Smith
· Crystal Shahid (CTC Board Chair)
· Greg Paul (CTC Foundation)
· Martha Ann Todd (CTC President)
This project is made possible through Governor Kemp’s Emergency Education Relief Fund Grant award, support from the Technical College System of Georgia, and support from the Pezold family.
“Our real target is to serve our exiting military, the veteran population, and the population of our entire service area, and the South Columbus area, Chattahoochee County, and Steward Quitman County,” says CTC president Martha Ann Todd.
The project is driven by nationwide reports and current statistics identifying trucking industry shortages, unprecedented demand from consumers and shippers and persistent challenges across the supply chain.
The CDL site location will be a facility designed to support high-volume, and well-trained additions to the local labor force. The CDL training range will accommodate up to 350 drivers annually with the coordinating training program set to begin in Fall 2023.
The location is important because the adjacent target neighborhood is a Qualified Opportunity Zone with poverty levels above 35 percent.
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