Chip Shields, a former Oregon state senator, saw that truck driving jobs are among the fastest growing middle-income jobs, and yet people of color and women weren’t getting into these careers.
To address this, Shields established the Portland Justice Fund which provided funding to Worksystems to develop a unique program that’s creating new pathways for people of color and women into trucking careers. Partnering with Interstate Trucking Academy and the Portland Haulers Association, Worksystems developed the Driving Diversity in Portland Program to prepare and qualify diverse job seekers to work in the recycling and waste hauling industry. The demand for recycling and waste drivers is strong, and driver jobs in this industry pay high wages and entail local work.
This video contains inspiring stories from the second graduating class. Congrats graduates!
