Residents of the peninsula looking to advance their careers by obtaining a commercial driver’s license will be pleased to hear of there is a new big rig driver training facility open in Kenai.
Since opening in 2017, Kenai Peninsula Driving Instruction has trained more than 840 commercial driving students, with a graduation rate of 99%, and a job placement rate of 98%, many of those jobs right here on the peninsula.
Perhaps KPDI’s most efficient aspect, is its relationship with state grant funding, which allows qualified students to obtain their CDL at a fraction of the regular tuition cost.
“KPDI was able to get two different grants through Department of Labor funding this year. One, we’ve had several years in a row where we take the Department of Labor step grant funding, that’s unemployment funding back into the workforce,” said Sarah Douthit with KPDI. “It streamlines the process so students are able to walk in and either already have a job but need a commercial license, or need to get a new job and that license is required for the new job. They’re able to fill out an application and I will review it and determine if they’re eligible. They can potentially have most of their CDL training funding covered by that grant, so is a great way to get new drivers into the workforce with training funding.”
Going along with the company’s expansion and new facility, the other grant offered the opportunity to add to their training fleet. “The second grant we got was for equipment this year. So we’re able to buy some new equipment, some of it right here on the peninsula, purchase new equipment and put it to work right here in Kenai,” said Douthit.
According to Douthit, more than half of the students who come through their CDL program are able to qualify for grants (in addition to the one already mentioned) and scholarships through state and local organizations to offset the cost of training.
Douthit said she and her husband Alex (who also serves on the Kenai City Council) started the company in 2017 with just one driving instructor – Alex. Six years later, and they now have 8 full time instructors, and a slate of full time students.
Kenai Peninsula Driving Instruction held the ribbon cutting for their new training installation on September 14th.
