Pictured, left to right: Don McDowell, rotarian; Brian Starnes, president, F2F Transport and vice president, GuideOn Group; Dr. Rebecca Ashford, president, Chattanooga State; Doug Thompson, rotarian; Kelsey Urban, organizational development, Max Trans Logistics; Bo Drake, vice president of Economic & Workplace Development, Chattanooga State; and Cynthia Brooks, Business & Community Development manager, Chattanooga State.
photo by Chattanooga Rotary Club
The Rotary Club of Chattanooga announced a partnership with the GuideOn Group to provide funding for scholarships to Chattanooga State Community College for their growing freight broker training program.
The $45,000 will be used to provide scholarships to ten students who will be enrolled in the program when the program opens in the fall. The partnership is between the college, Mayor Kelly’s office and area freight broker companies to provide training at ChSCC’s main campus.
"Contracted by shippers, freight brokers facilitate the movement of goods from one place to another. They reduce complexity by finding drivers for shippers’ loads, while keeping trucks on the road to aid carriers," officials said.
“Chattanooga is a critical corridor of the southeastern supply chain network, with nearly 80 percent of the nation’s freight traveling through our backyard on its way to its final destination,” said Mayor Kelly. “There’s tremendous demand for additional freight brokers and ensuring Chattanoogans are first in line for high-paying jobs like these is an important part of our proactive workforce development strategy. It’s exciting to see local organizations partnering to help fund this effort so that together we can continue to be a leader in the shipping industry.”
This training is provided by ChSCC’s Economic & Workforce Development team. Partnering with the American Job Center, EWD recently developed an in-person freight broker course, taught by an experienced, industry professional from Kenco Logistics in Chattanooga. The class is designed to meet industry partners' needs as the region has become a leader in the shipping industry. Focusing on all types of freight modes—land, air, rail, domestic and international—students learn about freight broker basics, transportation laws, sales negotiation skills, operations software, broker-carrier contracts, insurance, recordkeeping, marketing and time management.
Officials said, "Students with a penchant for sales development will thrive in this field. After completing the eight-week, approximately 80-hour training program, they will have the skills to work with shippers or carriers from a corporate office or start their own business. This training will propel recent high school graduates, as well as currently underemployed adults, toward jobs that start at $40,000 annually with lucrative commission opportunities. The last cohort started and finished with five students, with a 100 percent job placement rate."
Rotarian Don McDowell, said, “Our Rotary Club is proud to be a part of this effort to provide students with a viable job earning more than living wage and being excited about their future.”
GuideOn Group President Joe Etheredge said, “Experience is so much more valuable in transportation than traditional schooling, so by providing real training and direct experience, ChSCC will produce more prepared industry professionals on a shorter timeline. With many transportation companies vying for the best talent in Chattanooga, the competition is fierce. Our collaboration with the college’s freight forwarder program gives us an edge, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship for both the GuideOn Group and Chattanooga State students.”
Registration is open for Chattanooga State’s Freight Broker training. More information is available through the Economic and Workforce Development division at chattanoogastate.edu or Kristi Mead at 423-697-2514.