Goodwill Career Academy CDL Course

do they hire right after ?

 

I would like info on their payment plan structure as well. Will they give scholarships for low income individuals?

 

OK here's the gist on how the payment plan works. I talked with the lady who represents the program, and this is what she told me.

It isn't a true payment plan, per se. What it is is sort of a work-for-tuition deal. When you enroll, you have to make a first time payment of, I think $60, for some kind of processing fee. Then, once you are enrolled and in class, you will be required to work anywhere between 24-32 hours per week in the warehouse, at $7.25/hr. A percentage of what you make will go towards tuition, while the rest you get to keep for living expenses.

I was told that this arrangement was decided on a case-by-case basis, and I took that to mean that not everyone is approved for that program. She didn't go into details, but I suspect that you are going to have to prove income with tax returns and things like that, and if you are over a certain level, you don't qualify.

If you need housing during the school, which is 3 months long BTW, you are on your own, as they have no housing on campus. She said that she could get you a referral to the local shelter if you were in dire straits.

The next class will be in early December, with the date to be finalized this week. They are only going to have 10-12 people in the class, and it will be first-come, first-served. So, if you are interested you need to get in touch with April Espinoza at the above number and she will put you on a list of people she is going to call when the starting date is finalized. You need to do it quick as she told me she will be making those calls later this week.

This sounds like a good way to go about getting your CDL, assuming you have three months to devote to it, and can get by on next-to-nothing for those three months. It isn't going to work for me, since I have bills to pay, but for someone who is free and clear and can put up with a little hardship and Ramen noodles for three months, it might be the key to making a good living in the future.

Thanks to 439530. Your information and pms were appreciated.

 

This school was horrible... I actually quit in the third week, and now it looks like April & Carlos are trying to make me loose my license. I have had a class a cdl since 2003. I was on parole at the time so I only drove locally. I've driven consistently, but I want to drive TT OTR. Without experience that hasn't happened. My experience with the school was unbelievably bad. April suggested I move into the Haven 4 Hope, so I could be closer to the school. I moved there on a Friday. Class was scheduled to start the following Monday. Class didn't actually start for 3 weeks... during that time, April didn't answer any calls from me. When I went to the school to talk to her she sold me some BS I bought, so I waited the situation out and started class. They have a simulater that had to try. The first two weeks was dedicated to getting a permit... this is a four month course. Those 2 weeks were hellish for me since I was also working over 40 hours in a factory and the school was 8am to 5pm m-f. The 3rd week when we finally were supposed to drive, I decided to quit if they wouldn't guarantee me I wasn't waisting my time and I'd get an OTR job. I asked them to look up my record and see why I have been having such a hard time finding a real cdl job... they acted like I was talking German. I got upset and asked for my medical card so I could move on with my life. They claimed to not have it, so I left... very angrily. A fedays ago I got a letter from the Department of Transportation stating my class a was in jeopardy since my medical certification was about to expire. The school never sent a copy to the DOT. Of course, April wont answer my calls or respond to my voicemail. To sum it up, this was the worst school experience I ever had. I went to public schools in Chicago, Gary job corps and took classes inb Texas prisons. This is the only time in my life I feel like school was a complete waste of my time... on top of all that, their tractors are six wheelers... in other words they don't practice in 18 wheelers... that really was the straw for me.