Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff will be the recipient of $750,000 in grant funding for fiscal year 2022 through the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development’s MoExcels program.
The grant program, according to MDHEWD’s website, is a “cornerstone of the department’s long-term commitment to empowering every Missourian with the skills and education needed for success.”
Gov. Mike Parson approved the spending as part of the state’s FY22 budget this week, which includes $21.8 million in state money and $12 million in federal funds to train Missourians for high-demand, high-wage jobs.
“We are ecstatic to be receiving it,” said TRC Department Chair of Career Services and Workforce Development, Will Cooper.
The funds will be used to expand the college’s commercial driver’s license program, which now is in its second year.
“It’s going to be a huge boost for that program, so we’re very excited and thankful,” said Cooper.
The CDL program at Three Rivers, Cooper explained, typically sees groups of six students working to complete the five-week certification.
“This grant is going to allow us to double that capacity” to 12 drivers, Cooper said.
The need for commercial drivers, Cooper noted, is great not only in the local area, but also across much of the country.
“When you look at state job placement data in the South Central and Southeast regions, commercial driving is at the top,” he explained.
In his proposal for the very competitive grant, Cooper said, he emphasized “the high need for CDL drivers in the region. That was a big selling point, and the outcome that once the students complete the program, they typically have multiple job choices.”
Three Rivers also has a partnership with “multiple companies in the region that are looking for drivers, so typically any student that gets through the program has multiple choices of where they can go work and stay in the region,” Cooper said.
“The college is very appreciative of the state’s support of the commercial driving program, which is vital to moving our business and industry forward with a greatly-needed program,” said TRC President Dr. Wes Payne. “I’m extremely proud of the work that Will Cooper and his department have done in successfully applying for these highly competitive grants.”
The MoExcels funding could arrive as early as next week, Cooper said, and it will be put to use immediately.