The Marion County School Board and Marion Technical College celebrated the ribbon cutting on a new Commercial Driver’s License training pad on Friday, Jan. 10.
The pad, which is located at Vanguard High School’s Booster Stadium (3050 NE 36th Avenue), will be used as part of the the CDL program offered through Marion Technical College.
The program helps adults over 18 earn a license for commercial driving. The new pad provides a new, dedicated, safe area to drive and park large trucks.
“Every student has a gift and something to bring out to the world, and so we continue to create opportunities,” said Marion County School Board superintendent Heidi Maier of the new pad.
Executive Director of Career and Technical Education Mark Vianello heralded the project as a collaborative achievement that brought together the skillsets and efforts of multiple organizations across the the city of Ocala and Marion County. Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership CEO Kevin Sheilley agreed.
“This is about partnerships. This is about many, many people coming together and working together. It’s about how we advance our community by working together,” said Sheilley.
Sheilley went on to offer praise to the city and its cohesion, suggesting that it is part of what makes Ocala unique.
I would argue there’s not another community in Florida, quite frankly I don’t think there’s another community in the Southeast, where you will find the school system, the hiring providers, the College of Central Florida and Marion Technical College in particular, the business community, and local governments all working in step with one another. It is phenomenal,” added Sheilley.