Driving America Forward: Refugees & CDL Training

Global Impact Initiative (Gii) is seeking backers for its Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Tutoring Program. This program gives refugees and their families a pathway to stand on their own feet while meeting a genuine need in America’s workforce.

 

Being a refugee is harder than most people can imagine. They are fleeing persecution, leaving the only home they’ve ever known, arriving in a new community where they don’t know the language or the culture, sometimes with only the clothes on their back. Initially lacking the language skills for anything more than minimum wage employment, it’s a race to keep their children fed and clothed, and to stay one step ahead of eviction.

 

At the same time, the U.S. has a need for 80,000 truck drivers, projected to expand to 160,000 drivers by 2030 (source: American Trucking Association), creating supply chain bottlenecks and driving up prices. Many refugees have experience driving trucks or other large vehicles (like ambulances and Humvees, often as contractors for the U.S. military) and have experience with the long hours, self-initiative, and solo work necessary to be a successful commercial driver.

 

Refugees and commercial driving are a natural fit. While filling a crucial gap in the American workforce, such substantial employment also provides refugee families with liver income, pride, and a faster path to independence and stability.

 

But there is a problem…

 

The written portion of the CDL exam is challenging for non-native English speakers. The nuances of the test, its structure, and the quiz format are unfamiliar to them. This is why Gii created the CDL Tutoring Program. Completing the Gii program is the first step along the journey to obtaining a CDL. With greater employment opportunities, economic stability, and feeling at home on American roads, refugees can help address the critical shortage of licensed commercial drivers within the industry.

 

 

Gii has already helped seven refugees in the Austin area obtain their CDL. We now have 42 others registered for the next round of the program that spans July 5th - July 31st.

 

The CDL Tutoring Program requires time, materials, and staff to function. All of those require funding.

 

Gii is seeking financial supporters to help us scale up the CDL Tutoring Program, providing skilled workers vital to America while helping refugees and their families make their American Dream come true.

 

Refugees stand ready to help America keep on trucking, but they need your help.

 

Gii is a registered 501(c)3 headquartered in Austin, Texas. Gii’s leadership has a proven 30-year track record of serving marginalized communities through education, mentoring, workforce preparation, offering ESL classes, tutoring, and more.