Toyota Launches Program for Vets Looking to Join Logistics Industry
By: Sharise Cruz
In the wake of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, veterans continue to struggle to transition into civilian life and find employment.
In an effort to ease the effort, Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. (TMHU) has launched a program through its dealer network that provides discounted forklift operator safety training for veterans.
Toyota’s operator safety training military discount program, formally known as the Giving Veterans a Lift Program, includes formal classroom training, practical hands-on training and evaluation compliant to OSHA regulations. The lift truck supply company has committed $25,000 to its new program, which is available in many of its 188 dealership locations throughout the United States.
Toyota hopes to provide a boost to veterans while making the most of their valuable skill sets in one of the few fields that’s been growing despite the economic strain. A recent Material Handling Industry of America report indicated that the material handling field grew 18 percent in 2010.
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"Toyota and its forklift dealers are excited to make this investment and launch a program to assist America’s heroes in finding employment in an economy where Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans experience as much as 15.2 percent unemployment," said Brett Wood, President of TMHU in a statement. "We’re glad our dealer time and knowledge base will help equip veterans with tools needed for those who seek a career in the material handling industry."
Application for the program must be submitted by December 31, 2011 and training must be completed by January 31, 2012.
