News
Road to Work Truck Driver Training Program Partnership
By Desirae Barker
Jan 12, 2023
Posted in: DTI, employment, Partnership, Training and Employment
Gabriel Dumont Institute Training & Employment (GDITE) has partnered with Northern Resource Trucking Training Division (NRT) to deliver a 2022 Road to Work Truck Driver Training program. For nearly a decade, GDITE and NRT have partnered on a number of successful truck driver training programs for Métis clients.
Dating back to 2013, the trucking industry began reporting a gap in the supply and demand of professional transport operators. In Saskatchewan alone, the shortage was projected to be 1,600 by 2020. Now, the pandemic has only further exasperated the issue. The Road to Work program partnership seeks to meet part of this demand for professional transport operators by attracting Métis to the industry and providing them with training.
“Our NRT partnership strategy has demonstrated a 100% employability rate to meet the high demand in the tertiary sector. This is why we continue to grow this partnership, it is a win/win for both parties and allows us to showcase the success of our Métis students. This program gives participants plenty of industry involvement, mentorship, generates accountability, and helps break unemployment-related cycles,” said Bill Lehne, GDITE Employment Services Manager.
The 2022 Road to Work Program provided 12 Métis students in Prince Albert with a six-week M.E.L.T Driver Training program. The program is an SGI-accredited, full-time, Class 1A program that trains participants in developing essential employability skills to fill positions in the urban labour market overall. Three cohorts of the program began in January, with the final cohort having graduated on April 15, 2022.
“We have a very strong relationship with GDI. For years we’ve trained GDI clients on an individual basis, and now more recently we signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deliver this Road to Work program to more cohorts of students,” said Randy Mihilewicz, NRT Training Division Manager. He continued, “Each year our program grows stronger, making it better for each student. Once students graduate from our program, they are much better prepared for employment and typically have a job lined up before they’ve even graduated. The minimum mandatory training is 121 ½ hours for truck drivers and our program goes above and beyond providing students with 225 hours of combined in-cab and classroom training.”
In the future, GDI and NRT hope to expand their partnership to include fleet services and potentially apprenticeship opportunities.
Photo Caption: Photo by Northern Resource Trucking, Randy Mihilewicz (Left) and Bill Lehne (Right).
