Soon, Southern Arizonans can begin training for new jobs in logistics, the movement of goods, at their local community colleges. And companies that ship products across the border will be able to get that training at their workplaces through a $2 million Community-Based Job Training (CBJT) Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

About 37 people who work in employment, training, and cross-border trade heard the good news Sept. 16 in Rio Rico at a meeting of the Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization (SALEO).

What will produce the jobs in the four border counties? More trade with Mexico passing through in Southern Arizona ports and an expanded Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, the speakers said.

Nogales moves the largest amount of freight in Arizona, said Al Altuna, president of SALEO. “Nogales is by far the most direct route we have to the interior of Mexico.”

Nils Urman, former director of the Nogales Community and Economic Development, manages the CBJT grant for the Pima County On-Stop Career Center. It will provide training for workers in Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.

“There is an opportunity to take this region and compete globally,” Urman said. “We are Arizona’s international port of entry. We move goods.”

DOL wants to “engage the community college system into employment training programs,” Urman said. He described programs to earn a certificate all the way up to a bachelor’s degree in logistics.

Urman expected the programs to begin in January 2010, he said.

Some students and workers lack the skills in math and writing that they need to begin the courses, but community colleges can help prepare them, Urman said. Companies can tap into the training for their current workers, especially in safety, logistics, and hazardous material handling.

“We’re ready to go now,” said Evelyn Wright, who works in community services, employment and training at Pima County One-Stop Career Center. “These classes are based on what you said you wanted.”

OneStop is recruiting instructors and will bring the training to the work site, Wright said.

Armando Goncalvez from U.S. Customs and Border Protection spoke about supply chain security �“ protecting shipments.

“We are working to teach companies how to secure the supply chain at each point,” Goncalvez said.

Companies that comply can move their trucks through the port lanes more quickly and deliver goods faster to customers, he said.

J.B. Manson, chairman of the Greater Nogales Santa Cruz County Port Authority, displayed images of the future customs facilities at the Mariposa Port of Entry, where construction will begin in October. He predicted that the port would eventually operate 24 hours a day.

To find out about logistics training, call the Santa Cruz County One-Stop Career Center at (520) 375-7670.