GW Driver Training is planning on upgrading its services and facilities in order to address the truck driver shortage crisis in New Brunswick, and the first step to the initiative is a change of name, to CollègeTrans-Canada College.
"We will be modernizing and upgrading our facilities and services in order to meet the growing needs of New Brunswick's trucking industry," said Tony Reeder, president and CEO of Collège Trans-Canada College. "There are many opportunities for long-term, well-paid trucking jobs right here at home. We need to ramp up our efforts to ensure our very important trucking industry has the workforce it needs to meet the needs of the people and businesses it serves. There's no need to commute to Western Canada and leave your family for weeks or months at a time.”
By 2020, there may be as many as 24,700 unfilled truck driver positions across Canada if current trends are not reversed, according to the Conference Board of Canada.
The Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association (APTA) recently formed a Driver Shortage Blue Ribbon Task Force to address the driver shortage.
But jobs are out there and driving schools need to “do a better job recruiting students, training them and matching them with employers,” said Brian Baxter, co-chair of the University of New Brunswick's board of governors and chair to Trans-Canada College’s new advisory board, which will help guide Trans-Canada College in its initiatives aimed at meeting the needs of local carriers, employers and APTA members.
"We want to ensure that the best practices of private post-secondary education are utilized," Reeder said. "Brian Baxter's deep knowledge of post-secondary education in a private-sector setting is an immense asset in our commitment and determination to do just that."
