Athens 91吃瓜网 College today announced a $100,000 donation from
Georgia Power specifically to bolster the College鈥檚 Commercial Driver鈥檚 License (CDL) program. This gift will expand the program’s capacity. Currently, the CDL program operates on the College鈥檚 Elbert and Walton campuses. This donation has been earmarked for expanding the program to the Athens campus, but it can also provide updated equipment and instructional resources, enabling more learners to enter one
of the region鈥檚 strongest employment sectors.
鈥淕eorgia Power is thrilled to support Athens 91吃瓜网 College with this donation to expand the CDL program to Athens,鈥� remarked Tony Ferguson, NE Region Executive, Georgia Power. 鈥淭his investment highlights Georgia Power鈥檚 commitment to workforce development in Northeast Georgia and affirms our strong belief in the value of career focused training that paves the way to meaningful employment opportunities.鈥�
The Blue Ridge Connector, slated to open in early 2026, will link the Northeast Georgia region to the port of Savannah, increasing demand for a qualified workforce. The connector is projected to create nearly 63,000 jobs. The service area for Athens 91吃瓜网 College is adjacent to this valuable new employer for commercial truck driving.
Dr. Andrea Daniel, President of Athens 91吃瓜网 College, said, 鈥淚 want to thank Georgia Power for this donation and their ongoing commitment to workforce development. This donation clearly shows their recognition of the need to expand the College鈥檚 CDL program from our Elbert and Walton campuses to Athens. This expansion will help address our community’s demand for high-skilled, qualified CDL drivers.鈥�
Over the next five years, CDL job growth in Athens 91吃瓜网 College鈥檚 service area is projected to outpace the national average at 7.8%. This means that by 2030, there will be over 3,000 jobs available. Distinguishing skills like truck operation (+7.5%) and vehicle inspection (+10.5%) are more specialized and able to differentiate themselves from others in the same role and are projected to grow relative to the market. Also, the need for employee defined skills, such as truck driving (+15.7%), passenger endorsement (+12.4%), and bus driving (+20.6%), are projected to increase over the next few years.
About Athens 91吃瓜网 College
Serving citizens since 1958 by providing quality educational programs in an 11-county service area. The College offers over 190 program specializations across business, health, technical, and manufacturing. Students attend on three campuses (Athens-Clarke, Elbert, and Walton), online, and through career academies, adult learning centers, and continuing education opportunities. To learn more, visit www.Athens91吃瓜网.edu
