From 2008 to 2009, as a part of a previous iteration of the Transportation, Logistics, and Distribution (TLD) Talent Network in conjunction with a North Jersey Partners Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development-funded initiative, the Heldrich Center worked to identify new curricula critical to the development of a workforce pipeline to meet immediate industry needs as identified by interviews with TLD industry employers, feedback from roundtable events, and an Industry Workforce Advisory Council. The Heldrich Center developed a listing for TLD-related courses within New Jersey, and sought to identify gaps as well as need for refinement to existing curricula.

In 2009, the Heldrich Center provided grants to educational institutions in New Jersey to support the implementation of TLD curriculum developed through the TLD Innovation Partnership Institute. The goal of this effort was to address unmet education and skill needs of the TLD industry in New Jersey, while leveraging valuable existing resources. The Talent Network Executive Committee received proposals from three institutions: Kean University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Union County College. Two new course modules were created for use by county colleges in New Jersey: “Small Business Skills for Owner/Operators,” which met an industry need of training incumbent workers or currently licensed commercial driver’s license drivers to run their own businesses, and “Leadership and Supervisory Skills for Frontline Managers,” which met another industry need of training incumbent workers with the skills necessary to become frontline supervisors.