Tuesday’s Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustee meeting included an update on program that has become a hot topic amid the global supply chain shortage and local need for school bus drivers: The college’s Commercial Driver License classes.
                                 Times Leader file photo

Tuesday’s Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustee meeting included an update on program that has become a hot topic amid the global supply chain shortage and local need for school bus drivers: The college’s Commercial Driver License classes.

Times Leader file photo

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NANTICOKE — Tuesday’s Luzerne County Community College Board of Trustee meeting included an update on program that has become a hot topic amid the global supply chain shortage and local need for school bus drivers: The college’s Commercial Driver License classes.

Academic Affairs Associate Vice President Susan Spry noted the program has become “The darling of media attention in the last few weeks,” but added that it was always one of the “few credentials individuals can receive in a relatively short time that has the commercial impact” getting a CDL creates.

Going full-time five days a week, a person can get a CDL in about four weeks. A Saturday and Sunday program takes about nine weeks. The program has an 88% job placement record at LCCC, and the school has had to curtail visits by numerous recruiters — who often offer sign-on bonuses and other incentives these days — to avoid cutting into student learning.

The program is also getting more diverse students, including women and minorities, and companies are often looking to recruit them. “We have no more than eight students in a class, and each has 1, 2 or three women,” Spry said, adding that a few years ago there weren’t any.

During the voting session, the trustees

• Ratified an agreement with the City of Nanticoke and the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority to waive the Authority’s liability in the use of some Authority properties for fire fighting training courses. The Authority had provided use of the buildings, scheduled to be razed, in September and October for training and it was determined the college had adequate insurance to cover any risks.

• Ratified a change order with D&M Construction Unlimited, Inc. for electrical, drywall and plumbing needs identified during renovation of the Wilkes-Barre Center. The cost is $24,300.

• Ratified a change order with Dutchman Contracting LLC for work on the Academic Storage Building. The change provides a credit to the college of $12,656.

• Approved awarding a bid for the purchase of a new operating room table to Skytron LLC, the lowest responsible bidder at a price of $39,533. The current table in the Surgical Suite of the Health Science Center is broken and the company contracted regarding repair said parts are no longer available.

Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish