JCC finds new partner for CDL training

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - When a tractor-trailer school near Syracuse announced it would close, Jefferson Community College needed to find a new way to provide local training for people wanting their commercial driver’s license, or CDL.

For 4 weeks this fall, anyone 21 or older will continue to have a place and a program to earn a CDL.

JCC is partnering with The CDL School to provide a hands-on experience for those looking to get licensed.

“We’re always looking at the workforce needs of the community, and trying to figure out which programming individuals need to get great jobs in the north country,” said Megan Stadler, associate vice president for strategic initiatives at JCC.

JCC had to find a new partner since the National Tractor Trailer School out of Liverpool announced it would be closing.

Stadler says one of the priorities of the program is job placement - making sure students receive not just a diploma, but also a W-2.

“We constantly are speaking to our local employers, our economic development agencies, and they have communicated to us that there are a lot of great paying jobs that are vacant,” she said.

Four of those vacancies can be found in LaFargeville. Gilco part-owner Jill Nuffer says her company is excited about the new pool of possible employees.

“We’re in kind of a remote location here in LaFargeville, so the pool of drivers isn’t huge. It’s not like being in Syracuse or Utica, so I think it’s going to be a great add-on,” she said.

Training begins this September at the Lewis County JCC Education Center, shifting to the Watertown campus in the spring of 2024.

College officials say space in the program is limited.

Copyright 2023 WWNY. All rights reserved.