Participants Sought For New Employment Program In Prince George's

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Employ Prince George's, the workforce development non-profit entity of Prince George's County, has launched a new Transportation and Logistics Consortium Industry Bridge Program and is looking for 40 participants to enroll in the program.

In partnership with Jobs for the Future and Prologis, Inc., the TALC program will help residents in Prince George's County and the surrounding District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Region to gain the necessary skills for jobs and placement in the transportation, distribution, warehousing and logistics industries.

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 offer 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 assist job seekers in obtaining commercial driver's licenses, CDL A and CDL B, to help 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," Walter Simmons, president and CEO of Employ Prince George's, Inc., said. "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 D.C. Metropolitan Region."

Along with online and in-person skills training, the TALC Industry Bridge Program will 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," Simmons said.