Intermodal Briefs: Port of Long Beach, IANA

(POLB photo)

The Port of Long Beach (POLB) awards $300,000 in scholarships. Also, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) grows its Scholarship Award Program in 2024.

Port of Long Beach

POLB on May 31 announced that it has awarded $300,000 in scholarships to 136 high school and local college students to assist in their pursuit of education and training in port-related fields, including engineering, environmental science, maritime law and technical trades.

The scholarships were announced at the annual Celebrating Education event, which brings together students, educators, public officials and business leaders “to highlight the Port’s education outreach programs and recognize the accomplishments of students involved.”

“It’s important to invest in the future workforce of the goods movement industry, right here in the city,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. “Scholarships are an important way to nurture a labor pool with the talents and skills to keep cargo moving efficiently through our trade gateway.”

“We’re building the future of our industry at the Port of Long Beach with new ideas and innovative technologies,” said POLB CEO Mario Cordero. “Developing a skilled workforce through our comprehensive education program is a big part of making that happen.”

Since 2014, POLB has awarded more than $1.4 million in scholarships to students pursuing careers in international trade and goods movement. This year’s scholarships went to students from local high schools, Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach. This year’s budget for scholarships was $300,000, up from the previous year’s $250,000.

In an expansion of its commitment to supporting education outreach and workforce development, Olvera also announced last week that POLB is creating a new Tools Scholarship “designed to assist new and aspiring tradespeople in launching their careers.” The scholarship, the Port says, will help new Long Beach City College trades program students and graduates buy their first set of tools.

At the Celebrating Education event, Olvera also awarded 10 students from the ACE Academy of Jordan High School with $200 Harbor Freight Tools gift cards. The gift cards were donated by the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program to the Mayor’s Fund for Long Beach, which facilitated the gift cards free of charge.

More information is available here.

IANA

IANA on May 31 welcomes two new schools into its Scholarship Award Program—University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University, the program’s first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).

“We congratulate this year’s two additions,” said Tim Humbert, Vice President, North America Intermodal at C.H. Robinson and Chair of IANA’s Scholarship Committee. “It’s an exciting industry, and we look forward to the future contributions of these students as its next-generation leaders.”

Since the Award Program’s inception in 2007, IANA says it has provided $5.3 million to support students in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation. The Award “provides financial support for tuition, enriches coursework and student research, and facilitates student travel to key freight and intermodal facilities and events.”

More information is available here.