Grocery and foodservice supply chain solutions provider McLane Company Inc has launched a Registered Driver Apprenticeship Program featuring a veteran initiative, Warriors to Wheels.
The company recently hosted a signing ceremony for the press, local dignitaries and senior leadership of McLane at its Southwest location to officially roll out the program. The ceremony included speeches from James “Dudley” Light, state director for the US Department of Labor; Tony Frankenberger, president of Grocery at McLane; Rodney Smoczyk, director of recruitment at McLane; and Jennifer Rojas Clouse, EEO compliance and inclusion manager at McLane.
Special guests included Martha Tyroch, district representative for Texas State Senator Dawn Buckingham; Roxann Griffin, Regional Veterans’ Employment Coordinator for the US Department of Labor; Charles Ayres, vice president of Temple Economic Development Corporation; and Susan Kamas, executive director of Workforce Solutions of Central Texas.
The Warriors to Wheels program is GI Bill-approved and is a Registered Driver Apprenticeship with the US Department of Labor. It is designed to attract and provide military veterans an “earn while you learn” training model that uses their military training experience to move into a career in transportation. McLane offers careers that don’t require drivers to be away from their families for extended periods of time. Delivery drivers run one- to two-day routes, with more than 80 distribution centers nationwide.
The Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs help employers recruit and develop a highly skilled workforce. Registered apprenticeships are industry-driven and flexible training solutions that help to reduce turnover, costs and increase employee retention.
McLane’s Driver Apprenticeship Program is open to anyone, not just veterans. However, military veterans who are eligible for GI Bill benefits can receive their GI Bill housing allowance while earning a wage at the same time.
To learn more about McLane’s Warriors to Wheels program, visit www.McLanew2w.com.
