Goodwill of North Georgia has introduced commercial driver’s license simulators at its Metropolitan Career Center in Atlanta. The virtual reality driving equipment was acquired through a funding partnership with economic development agency Invest Atlanta.
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The equipment offers virtual simulation training in commercial driving, which has been identified as a high-demand industry in the region. The addition expands a virtual instruction strategy that Goodwill launched in 2024 with welding and forklift simulators at its Woodstock Career Center.
Invest Atlanta provided more than $300,000 in funding for the simulation equipment. Since the technology was installed at the Metropolitan Career Center, 25 participants have completed simulator training.
Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, stated that the initiative aims to increase access to sustainable careers in the area. “Atlanta’s economy grows when Atlantans have a real path into careers that pay well and are sustainable,” Klementich said. “This partnership puts advanced training technology in the hands of residents who are ready to work and it removes the cost barrier that keeps too many people out of these industries.”
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Keith Parker, president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia, emphasized the role of career training in improving economic mobility across metro Atlanta communities.
“In metro Atlanta, a child born in certain areas of Atlanta can potentially spend their whole lives in poverty,” Parker said. “That means for too many of our neighbors, the zip code they are born into sets a ceiling on the life they can build. Technology like this is how we push back. A resident can sit down at a simulator, build a real skill in weeks instead of years and step into an industry that pays a living wage. We are not just training people for jobs. We are giving them a way out of a statistic.”
The simulators recreate real-world driving conditions, allowing students to practice maneuvering, shifting and responding to road hazards without the operating costs or safety risks of a physical truck. Learners use the equipment during permit test preparation, job readiness training and a mandatory skill assessment conducted the week before classroom instruction starts.
Karim Simmons, 53, enrolled in the program after his private business slowed down and he sought stable employment. Private CDL training programs he researched charged between $4,500 and $5,500, but as a Fulton County resident, Simmons qualified for grant-funded training through Invest Atlanta.
“I would say I was the number one person coming in who was doubtful and apprehensive,” Simmons said. “But since I joined this program and successfully graduated, it has changed my life. I’ve been able to help my kids pay for their college education.”
Following his graduation, Simmons took a job operating dump trucks for MC Trucking.
Goodwill of North Georgia provides free job training, employment placement and career coaching across 45 counties using a network of 14 career centers and a mobile unit. Simulator-based instruction in other trades has also yielded employment outcomes, including welding program graduate Kandise Daise, who secured a position with Kenimer Knox & Mechanical and joined UA Local Union 72.
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