I try to be very diligent in letting readers know about companies that are hiring locally in large numbers or about unusual job training opportunities.
      This column is about a job training opportunity, and let me preface by sharing the following. The Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics states that America will need 115,000 new truck drivers a year for the next few years. However, only around 16,000 are being trained per year.
      With that in mind, it should be noted that out-of-pocket costs for students to earn a commercial truck driving license through Ogeechee Technical College this past year was around $1,700. That is about to drastically change in the near term.
      Beginning in August, students who are eligible to receive the HOPE Grant also would be eligible for additional financial assistance from Georgia's Strategic Industries Workforce Development Grant for the Commercial Truck Driving program. The grant award is $1,000. This grant, combined with the HOPE Grant, will reduce out-of-pocket expenses for tuition, fees,and books to less than $200.
      In other words, students will only have to pay approximately $183 for the training required to get a commercial truck driving license.
      For those interested, here are the requirements. You must be 18 to get a commercial license in Georgia. No high school diploma or GED is required. Also, students do not have to have a high school diploma for the HOPE Grant (which is different from the HOPE Scholarship). The costs I have shared with you are based on the price schedule for the upcoming Fall 2013 semester.
      Ogeechee Technical College's Commercial Truck Driving program will hold an information session on Thursday from 5- 6:30 p.m. in the lobby and auditorium of the Joseph E. Kennedy Building, located on the main campus in Statesboro.
Information on admissions criteria, financial aid and grants will be provided at the information session. Admissions officers and instructors will be on site as well. For more information, call the Commercial Truck Driving program at (912) 739-2874, admissions at (912) 688-6994, or visit www.ogeecheetech.edu.
      "We encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing a career as a truck driver to attend the information session to learn about how they can earn their commercial driver's license," said Ken Lynch, program director for OTC's Commercial Truck Driving program.
      So, until next Tuesday, I bid you au revoir.
      Got a scoop for Jan? Call her at (912) 489-9463 or email her at jmoore@statesboroherald.com