Blinn offers professional truck driving training in November

Certified medication aide refresher and electrician license renewal course also available

October 31, 2018

The Blinn College District’s Division of Technical and Community Education will offer a new section of its Professional Truck Driving Program this November, offering students the opportunity to earn their commercial driver’s license and begin a new high-demand career.

Blinn also will offer a refresher course for certified medication aides and an electrician license renewal course in November.

Blinn’s Professional Truck Driving Program consists of two courses and will welcome students for a new section beginning Monday, Nov. 12. Students learn to conduct pre-trip, on-the-road, and post-trip vehicle and equipment inspections. Other skills include map reading, managing log books and cargo documentation, dispatch procedures, emergency responsibilities, and regulations of transportation agencies.

Students learn road safety guidelines and specific laws applicable to professional drivers. At the conclusion of the program, instructors accompany students to the commercial driver’s license (CDL) testing facility, where they may be eligible to earn their CDL and a certificate of completion from Blinn.

Entry-level truck drivers can expect a starting wage of approximately $20 per hour, or an annual salary ranging between $40,000 and $60,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the demand for professional truck drivers will increase 6 percent between 2016 and 2026.

Truck driving courses run concurrently and are held 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, at Blinn’s Highway 60 Training Center, located at 5503 Raymond Stotzer Parkway in College Station. The cost for each course is $2,350, and the total cost of the program is $4,700.

Blinn’s four-hour electrician license renewal course takes place from 8 a.m. – noon on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Highway 60 Training Center. The $45 course meets the state requirement for annual mandatory continuing education.

Blinn’s medication aide refresher is a $75, eight-hour course taking place from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Post Office Campus, located at 301 Post Office Street in Bryan. The course includes specific training and review in the preparation and administration of medications, documentation, licensing standards, the safeguarding of medications, common drug reactions and side effects, and updated and new medications available on the market.

Students who successfully complete the refresher course will receive an updated certified medication aide permit from the state.

Blinn’s technical and community education courses are designed to provide students the knowledge and ability they need to enter the workforce immediately after completion of the courses. Many of these courses do not require a high school diploma and enrollment is fast and easy. As most of these courses are non-credit, students do not need to go through the College’s admissions process to enroll. Programs vary in length and are offered with daytime, evening, and weekend options.

Business owners can enroll their employees in Blinn Technical and Community Education courses using Texas Workforce Commission Skills Development and Skills for Small Business funds, and Blinn staff can help businesses complete the request form. Blinn also offers students access to scholarships through the Blinn College Foundation, private grants, and Workforce Solutions.

For more information or to register any of these courses, visit the Blinn Post Office Campus at 301 Post Office Street in Bryan. For additional information, visit www.blinn.edu/workforce or call 979-209-7205.