WINNIPEG, Man. – The Manitoba Trucking Association’s (MTA) newly-formed education council is searching for members to help steer the effort in the right direction.

Supporting the design, development, and implementation of an educational program aimed at making the MTA a premier training resource for the trucking industry, the association is looking for representatives from the fields of human resources, financial services, dispatch, fleet management, safety and compliance, and the driver services sector.

Neil Cooke, manager of education and training for the MTA, said his association recognizes the need for this type of training, which will support the professional development of future industry employees.

“By supporting these aspirations, the MTA looks to enhance the current skills and abilities of a workforce that is constantly adapting to changes in technologies and business practices,” said Cooke.

Curriculum development of the education program will leverage and adapt programing that already exists, given it meets the needs of the industry and the program. Cooke said a last resort will be to follow standard curriculum development practices.

“The MTA has been working with post-secondary institutions, corporate trainers, and related associations to build a catalogue of courses that are aligned with the seven themes identified in the MTA educational initiative,” said Cooke. “This catalogue will be reviewed by the education council and priority list of courses generated to support the development of a bi-annual course calendar.”

Those seven themes include communications, technology, managerial, adult education instructor, coaching and mentoring, logistics, and technical skills.

So far, representatives from the MTA’s associated trades division and vehicle maintenance council have committed to provide representation on the education council.

Cooke said the training being developed by the education council is in no way intended to compete with any carrier’s in-house training. It is rather intended to augment existing in-house programing of some carriers and be made available to those that don’t currently provide any training options.

“The education and training needs of MTA member companies are very diverse, and as such the program and course offerings will reflect this,” said Cooke. “The educational initiative had seven major themes or domains, but from these seven areas over 70 individual course needs were identified. This speaks volumes to the bona fide professional development needs MTA members have identified as necessary to support the continued success of the association and the industry.”

Once all council members are established, they will be tasked with developing an education charter to guide the council and ensure future council members have a structure to follow. Members will then meet quarterly to advise on programing needs, outcomes, and evaluation data.

“Council members will play a vital role in influencing the MTA’s ability to recruit, retain, and develop a workforce in a national landscape that is highly competitive,” said Cooke.

Anyone interested in being part of the MTA’s education council is encouraged to contact Cooke at ncooke@trucking.mb.ca or 204-632-6600.