EUCLID, Ohio -- Everyone is always looking for a better job, whether you are changing positions or looking to get into the workforce.
There are several programs out there helping people get the job they want.
For 10 hours a day, four days a week, students at Tri-C Truck Driving Academy are learning how to drive semi-trucks. Their average age is between 30 and 35.
The five-week class meets from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
"Right now we are in week two, but the first week was all classroom training getting ready to take our permit," said truck driving academy student Bruce McCann. "We've been out here all morning to get our skills down."
These students practice even the simplest of drills.
"We're doing some crossover drills on the other side of the parking lot and then some parallel parking," said McCann.
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) recently received a $195,000 federal grant to help train veterans and their families for jobs as commercial bus and truck drivers.
McCann, a 50-year-old student, is benefiting from the grant. The $5,500 class is now free for him.
"I decided to do it at 50, I would make a career change," said McCann.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awarded nearly $2.3 million to 13 technical and community colleges across the country. That's double the amount allocated in 2014.
"One of the most important, fastest-growing employment sectors is for qualified commercial vehicle drivers, and veterans bring invaluable experience to the industry and can enter the workforce quickly," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
The funding is provided through FMCSA's Commercial Motor Vehicle - Operator Safety Training (CMV-OST) grant program, which was established in 2005 to help reduce crashes involving trucks and buses on U.S. roadways.
The grants go to a variety of educational institutions that provide truck driving training.
Tri-C's Truck Driving Academy, located at Heritage Business Park in Euclid, was the only program in Ohio to receive funding this year.
"This is a fast track program that will allow them to get back into the workforce in a five-week period of time, which is really quick, so any downtime does not affect their family or income," said Cuyahoga Community College Truck Driving Academy program manager Ian Wilson.
"I was laid off for the winter, did seasonal work, I was a landscaper," said student Brad Stroth. "I just want something that is full-time."
The academy will graduate about 140 students this year, and recruiters will hire about 80 percent of them.
"I have a couple offers already," said McCann. "It's just a matter of picking the best one for me."
For these guys, making the choice to go back to school should pay off.
The job promises to pay between $35,000 and $45,000 in your first year. All you have to do is invest the $5,500 to take the class.
If you're lucky, sometimes the company that hires you will even pay for your schooling.
Tri-C opened its Truck Driving Academy in 2008.
Follow WKYC's Wale Aliyu on Twitter @WaleAliyu and on Facebook.