Governor Tom Wolf today joined U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Marty Walsh in opening the Yellow Corporation’s new truck-driving apprenticeship program in Carlisle, Cumberland County.
”Apprenticeship programs prepare workers for success by equipping them with the skills to compete for good jobs that offer family-sustaining wages,” Gov. Wolf said. “The investments we’re making in apprenticeships and other forms of hands-on and on-the-job training are already helping us get more Pennsylvanians into careers where they can succeed. This is more important than ever as Pennsylvania’s economy continues to rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Yellow CDL Driving Academy in Carlisle, which is registered through the DOL’s Apprenticeship Program, will offer apprentice drivers four weeks of classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training with an experienced and highly qualified instructor. The academy is tuition free and students are paid to earn their commercial drivers license (CDL).
“The success of Yellow’s CDL academy in producing some of the safest drivers on the road reflects the great power and promise of apprenticeship to be a proven workforce tool in the trucking industry,” Secretary Walsh said. “The trucking apprenticeship challenge has shown that joint labor management programs and public-private partnerships are critical, and that we succeed when we work together.”
Apprenticeships are an essential tool in building a pipeline of skilled workers prepared to fill openings as new jobs become available and baby boomers retire.
In 2016, the Wolf Administration established the Department of Labor and Industry’s Apprenticeship and Training Office (ATO) to support and expand registered apprenticeship programs statewide. The ATO currently supports more than 17,000 active apprentices, nearly 5,000 new apprentices and more than 1,500 active apprenticeship programs around the commonwealth.
Additionally, the ATO aims to expand the apprenticeship model to non-traditional occupations and ensure apprenticeship opportunities are available to under-represented communities across the commonwealth.
In anticipation of increased employment opportunities within the building and construction trades as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden in November 2021, Governor Wolf recently announced a new round of grant funding for Pennsylvania apprenticeship programs to develop diverse talent pipelines and reach underrepresented populations within the building and construction trades.
Yellow Corporation employs 32,000 transportation professionals throughout North America and transports more than 20 million shipments annually for more than 250,000 customers.
Yellow recently onboarded the largest number of new trucks in its history with advanced safety and emissions reduction technologies, while simultaneously opening 17 new Driving Academies developing a pipeline for the next generation of truck drivers. Yellow is also working to increase the number of female drivers by launching a Women’s Inclusion Network which includes mentorship programs.
