Employ Prince George's Launches the Transportation and Logistics Consortium Training Program to Prepare Thousands for Distribution and Logistics Jobs in the DMV Region

New Skills Training Program Will Help Create Career Pathways for Workers in One of the Region's Fastest Growing Industries

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Employ Prince George's

Nov 01, 2021, 15:30 ET

LARGO, Md., Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Employ Prince George's (EPG), the premier workforce development non-profit entity of Prince George's County, announced its new Transportation and Logistics Consortium (TALC) Industry Bridge Program. In partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD), the global leader in logistics real estate, the TALC program will help residents in Prince George's County and the surrounding District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia Region (DMV), to gain the necessary skills for jobs and placement in the Transportation, Distribution, Warehousing, and Logistics Industries.

Employ Prince George's TALC Program General Flyer

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates that employment in the distribution and logistics sectors will increase by 29 percent from 2019 (before the pandemic) to 1.62 million workers in 2022. With companies facing challenges in finding and retaining workers, TALC will feature traditional in-person training and Prologis' free online training designed to help job seekers develop the foundational knowledge and skills that are in demand in the transportation and warehousing industries. The self-paced program is available on mobile devices and complements the job placement support services that Employ Prince George's provides. The program will also focus on assisting job seekers in obtaining commercial driver's licenses, CDL A and CDL B, to assist with a regional shortage of drivers.

"The movement of consumer goods and products is a crucial element to the global population, and Covid-19 has significantly increased the demand," said Walter Simmons, President & CEO of Employ Prince George's, Inc. "Our Transportation and Logistics Consortium Industry Bridge Program was created to work with businesses and local communities in the DMV to address the severe shortages of drivers in the region and help fill the thousands of logistics opportunities in the region. As our local economies work to recover from Covid-19, local school systems struggle to find drivers, and companies such as Amazon and Peloton grow in the region; Employ Prince George's is creating a program to upskill unemployed residents and connect them to livable wage careers in occupations and industries that are crucial to the success of the DC Metropolitan Region."

Along with online and in-person skills training, the TALC Industry Bridge Program will also assist returning citizens (ex-offenders) and disconnected youth (young adults ages 18 -24 not enrolled in educational programs and unemployed). TALC will pay eligible participants $15 - $20 per hour for up to 35 hours per week. Participants will get paid while working to develop their work experience and skills and get paid for the hours they are in skills training. "We know that families are in financial distress and in need of money to make ends meet, but we also know that people need skills and credentials to obtain livable wage employment, and people shouldn't have to choose. This is why we will pay people to learn, develop their skill sets, break the cycle of poverty, and achieve financial success." Employ Prince George's is recruiting its first Prince George's County cohort and immediately looking for 40 participants to enroll in the program.

Developed with JFF, a national non-profit driving transformation in the American workforce and education systems, Prologis' Community Workforce Initiative, online learning platform, and digital curriculum teaches essential workforce skills and provides an overview of best practices across the distribution and logistics industries. Prologis has pledged to train 25,000 individuals by 2025, and D.C., Maryland, and Virginia are among 15 key logistics markets where it has established a CWI presence.

"Opportunities in the logistics industry have reached a new peak as companies recognize the importance of the supply chain to their operations," said Steven Hussain, Vice President of Workforce Programs and Community Relations, Prologis. "This initiative expands access to career opportunities in this growing sector while addressing the hiring gap for employers."

The Transportation and Logistics Consortium program is available today. To learn more about the initiative and enroll, please visit: www.EmployPG.org/TALC or contact us at [email protected] and 301-618-8445.

Employ Prince George's (EPG) provides workforce development services for job seekers and businesses. EPG's mission is to improve the local economy by creating a demand-driven workforce system in Prince George's County with workforce development programs that deliver qualified workers to businesses, improve the productivity of companies, and provide job seekers with opportunities for careers in high demand/high growth industries.

For more information, please visit www.Employpg.org.

SOURCE Employ Prince George's