Texas State Technical College’s Professional Driving Academy is growing.

“I am extremely excited to have the Professional Driving Academy in Brownwood because there is a big demand for CDL (commercial driver’s license) drivers locally and across the state,” said Raquel Mata, associate provost of TSTC’s Brownwood campus.

Cindy Brunett, TSTC’s executive director of Workforce Training and Continuing Education, said registration is now open for the course, which will be available in Brownwood beginning Nov. 6.

“We have seen the success of the Professional Driving Academy in Abilene grow,” Brunett said. “Our workforce partners in the Brown County area have requested that we bring the academy to Brownwood.”

To help fund the academy in Brownwood, TSTC was awarded a Texas Talent Connection grant by Gov. Greg Abbott. The $216,526 grant will provide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act-eligible trainees, 18 years of age or older, with driver training to earn a Texas Class A commercial driver’s license, according to information from the governor’s office.

“Meeting the needs of Texas employers by providing a continuing pipeline of workers with in-demand skills is paramount to ensure expanding economic opportunity in communities across the state,” Abbott said in a recent press release.

The driving academy’s four-week program includes the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) CDL test, which is administered by the TSTC instructor.

The first week of the course will be spent mainly in the classroom, with students reviewing the pre-trip inspection checklist. During the second week, students will begin pre-trip inspections on the truck. Pre-trip inspections will continue into the third week, which will include students maneuvering the truck around Brownwood.

The final week will continue to see students performing pre-trip inspections and maneuvers, and it will conclude with the DPS test.

Brunett said some scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis for those who qualify.

For more information about the academy or related scholarships, email Rebecca Hargus, Workforce Training and Continuing Education enrollment communication specialist, at [email protected].

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.