07 Aug New Beginnings for CDL Students!
In June 2015, Alliance for Multicultural Community Services offered its first Commercial Drivers License (CDL) certification training course to refugees, asylees, immigrants and low-income individuals in Southwest Houston. We are thrilled to hold our first graduation ceremony on July 29 for the Alliance CDL training program!
Alliance began the CDL program in hopes of increasing secure employment opportunities for our clients in the growing transport industry. Partnering with Bag Transport LLC, Alliance offered vocational courses, behind-the-wheel training and job readiness skills to its first class of students. All 18 students successfully passed their CDL certification exams and received their licenses.
Najibullah, a 27-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, is currently working at a local mattress factory. Now that he has received his CDL license, he hopes to start working as a truck driver. At the graduation ceremony, he said he was “happy this program introduced us to being able to serve this country and make a good life.”
Another CDL graduate, Ajmal “AJ”, took a moment at the ceremony to thank his trainer Mr. Binyam Gebrehewet of Bag Transport LLC and TFI Resources for providing this training program. Ajmal is currently enrolled in an ESL course with Houston Community College and is hoping to use the potential income as a truck driver to attend college and pursue a degree in either Economics or Engineering.
Alliance is grateful to our community partners who helped ensure the success of this new program, including Bag Transport LLC for providing the CDL training and skills courses, and Mr. Ed Hubbard, President of TFI Resources, for providing funding to ensure that refugees had access to skilled jobs.
At the graduation ceremony, Mr. Hubbard commended the grads on their ability to take “advantage of this opportunity” and that he believes all three of his goals – job security, increase in income, and setting people on a career path – had each been achieved.
As Miriam Diria, our Director of Operations stated, we hope that the graduates remaining in the Houston area will be able to mentor the next class and have the opportunity to become role models for others. We wish the graduates all the best in their future endeavors!