Column: Pace Bus, South Suburban College partner to offer free driver training course

South Suburban College and Pace Suburban Bus are partnering in a free, short-term training program that will lead to positive payoffs for those who complete the program and for Pace, which like many transportation providers is struggling to find drivers.

Starting Feb. 13, South Suburban College will provide a customized course to assist prescreened applicants in obtaining their CDL Class B commercial driver’s license permits. Once enrollees complete that 40-hour course, held over two weeks at the college’s South Holland campus, they will transition to six weeks of on-the-job training with Pace.

Pace will cover the costs of tuition, training, books, fees and other expenses associated with the program. The only cost enrollees will have to pay is $12 for their motor vehicle report.

Starting pay for drivers at Pace varies but is in the $25 range, and employees receive medical, pension and other benefits, said Pace Executive Director Melinda Metzger.

The program addresses a financial hurdle for many. The costs associated with earning a CDL Class B license ranges from $3,000 to $10,000 depending on the training provider, said Matthew Beasland, executive director of extension services & workforce development at South Suburban.

The college’s goals with the initiative are to provide free assistance to help constituents earn a credential that will lead to a family sustaining wage and help address the bus driver shortage, Beasland said.

“There is an extraordinary need for bus drivers right now in our area and across the state,” he said. “Schools are starting to be creative with student transportation solutions. Charter buses, Uber and taxi cabs are being utilized by our local school districts just to make ends meet. Some are even having to adjust student schedules to ensure that transportation is available for all students.”

Eighty-eight percent of school districts say the driver shortage has affected their transportation plans, he said, citing a 2022 State of School Transportation Report.

“We’re looking to put people to work, so that they can get other people to work,” Metzger said. “In our region alone, we have about 300 openings between our bus drivers and our mechanics, and nationwide there’s a shortage everywhere.”

She described the program as a “win, win, win.”

“It’s a win for the employee to be,” she said. “It’s a win for us to get a good employee, and it’s a win for the college because they are training someone for a job that’s out there, and within two weeks you can be in training for a career.”

Pace has partnerships with five community colleges in the Chicago metropolitan area to provide training for bus drivers and has allocated roughly $100,000 for the initiative, Metzger said. The partnership at South Suburban College is the first in the south suburbs.

Employers in the south suburbs “will have the opportunity to add to the economic growth of this area while also maintaining a competitive workforce,” college President Lynette Stokes said in an emailed statement about the program.

“Participants will have the opportunity to advance in a high paying career field within a short time frame. In doing so, they become stronger contributors to the economic stability within their households while also creating personal financial growth.”

The trainings will run through the college’s continuing education program. South Suburban expects 24 students to participate in each of 10 to 15 cohorts it plans to hold annually, Beasland said.

The target populations for the program are unemployed individuals ages 18 and older and people who would like to transition into bus driving, program representatives said.

The initiative offers a career for people who are passionate about public service, said Metzger, adding that for employees who perform well, there are advancement opportunities in other Pace departments.

“I am excited to have SSC be the first in this area to launch an opportunity of this magnitude,” Stokes said in a media release announcing the program. “We want to provide accessible and affordable programs to a diverse community of learners in collaboration with local businesses. Our partnership with Pace Bus embodies all of these key tenets.”

In partnership with Pace, South Suburban’s Workforce Equity Initiative will provide additional support and resources to students completing the Pace training, according to the college.

The Workforce Equity Initiative is a grant-funded program through the Illinois Community College Board that assists underrepresented groups with short-term educational opportunities and funding to reduce barriers to completion of programs. Participants receive tuition assistance, access to emergency funds for transportation, child care and other emergencies, financial assistance to cover the cost of books and materials, career networking and development opportunities.

They also receive personal, academic and career advisement, tutoring, and other supportive services. The programs supported by the Workforce Equity Initiative must lead to employment with wages 30% higher than the living wage, Beasland said.

South Suburban will host a three-hour, pre-hire event for the CDL program at 6 p.m. on Jan. 17 at its South Holland campus, 15800 South State St., for job seekers to meet with Pace staff. There applicants will complete a screening process that includes completing an application, assessment questionnaire and background check.

Candidates must bring a valid Illinois driver’s license and a drivers services or secretary of state motor vehicle report with no more than two infractions or tickets in the last five years, program representatives said.

Assessment results will be available within four days after the event. Candidates must complete an Illinois Department of Transportation physical and drug screening. Pace will cover the cost of the screenings.

For more information on the CDL program, call 708-596-2000, Ext. 5723.

Francine Knowles is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown. She is also a grants specialist at Chicago-based CJE SeniorLife, which has received support letters from Pace Suburban Bus related to grant applications CJE submitted to the Illinois Department of Transportation.