This week, senior Sawyer Ostrander, who is enrolled in WSWHE BOCES CTE heavy equipment class at the Southern Adirondack Education Center, became the first high school student in the CTE program to obtain his Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL). 

On May 24, 2022, New York State law changed to permit 18 year olds to obtain a Class A CDL (combination vehicles: truck and trailer over 26,001 lbs). Previously, 18 year olds were only eligible to earn a Class B license (single unit vehicle over 26,001 lbs; ie. our dump trucks). They had to wait until they reached 21 years of age for a Class A CDL. 

To qualify for the Class A license in WSWHE BOCES CTE programs under the new law, candidates (under 21) must complete the driver training provided at BOCES, and they must also complete 300 hours of driver training with a company performing "live" work. Sawyer did the work both in school and outside of school with assistance from several local companies. All of Sawyer's efforts now position him well for high-demand jobs upon graduation.

CONGRATULATIONS SAWYER!