Jasmine Robinson, a senior at Center Point High School in Jefferson County, won the esteemed state Gold Medal in Computer Networking earlier this year during the Alabama SkillsUSA championship.

The morning consisted of hands-on activities that simulated different aspects of a manufacturing environment: an M&M Production Co. exercise related the importance of quality control; a Lean Piglet exercise proved the Lean standardized process works; the students programmed a robot to dispense a box of candy; a Safety in the Workplace demonstration showed the various types of personal protective equipment that may be necessary in a manufacturing environment; and a team-building exercise built a tall tower of cups.

Over lunch, the students participated in a Role Models Panel discussion, which consisted of local women who work or have worked in manufacturing telling their real-world stories and fielding questions from the students. The role models were:

• Carol Gilliland, human resources director, Koller-Craft South in Gadsden.
• Cindy Huelsman, human resources director,  Koller-Craft Enterprises, St. Louis, Mo.
• Kiersten Dutenhaver, welding engineer, NASA Marshall Flight Center, Huntsville.
• Darlene Waters, plant manager, Choice Fabricators, Rainbow City.
• Deb Reynolds, electronics instructor, Gadsden State Community College.
• Mary Vervynckt, PC&L manager, Inteva Products, Gadsden.
• Sharon Ingle, project engineer, ATN Gadsden.

In the afternoon, the students toured Koller Craft South, a manufacturer providing plastic injection molding and electromechanical/mechanical assembly services to the appliance, automotive, lighting, telecommunications, and lawn and garden industries.

Manufacturing Day is an annual celebration created to motivate young people to learn about manufacturing.

Read the Gadsden Times story on GEM Day.

Also, click the image below to watch a video of it.

West AlabamaWorks launched another exciting project at this year’s Worlds of Work event: the Educator Workforce Academy. The academy is designed to bolster the K-12 pipeline in West Alabama. School systems have worked with West AlabamaWorks to develop a workforce and leadership academy to familiarize educators to the world of business and industry, as well as college opportunities to help facilitate the process.

All administrative certified leaders will receive a professional learning unit (PLU) for completion. Others will receive PD credits. This cohort will demonstrate that education and workforce development cannot succeed as separate entities, as educators have a very important role to fill.

Here are some expected outcomes:

• Education leaders will connect schools with business and industry partners in West Alabama.
• Education leaders will learn the specific skills necessary for successful careers in business and industry.
• Education leaders will be able to apply the career skills, curriculum relevance and workplace skills to the curriculum in elementary, middle and high school courses.

Participants will include:

• 2017-2018 — Principals and select central office staff (school board members as applicable).
• 2018-2019 — Assistant principals, new principals and select central office staff.
• 2019-ongoing — New leaders, counselors and teacher leaders.

The academy began at WOW and is now composed of two cohorts. Each cohort meets four times a year and involves tours of entities such as the Brookwood Workforce Center and industries such as Mercedes-Benz, ZF, and ARD Logistics. Topics such as “Introduction to Workforce Development,” “Employment Engagement and Career Opportunities,” “Workforce Development and the New Economy” and “The Impact of the Automotive Industry” will be discussed.

The goal is for educators will better understand workforce needs and will gear instruction accordingly. Students will have increased opportunities for on and off ramps throughout their educational experience due to better awareness of the many ways they can earn credentials of economic value. In addition, regional business and industry will have a more plentiful pool of well-qualified individuals right in their own community from which to hire.

“We need this academy to be a partnership of how we can work together collaboratively to prepare our students,” said Sandra Aldridge, a teacher in the Tuscaloosa City Schools district. “It is one thing for our teachers to prepare our students for careers and the workforce, but when the students can see it in action, it is so much more powerful. Students need to see the workforce come to their school as well as them go visit the various workforce companies on field trips. Seeing and experiencing is far more powerful than just telling.”

Speaking of Worlds of Work, West AlabamaWorks put together a video featuring highlights of WOW 2017. To watch the video, click the image below.

The Alabama Workforce Council’s Statewide Educational Attainment Committee held two focus group meetings this week in Region 6 as part the AWC’s effort to develop a statewide strategic plan on how to to increase educational attainment in Alabama.

As part of Gov. Kay Ivey’s “Strong Start, Strong Finish” education initiative, the state set a statewide educational attainment goal, known as the “65 by 2025 Initiative,” focusing on preparing students and workers with the skills necessary to be successful in the modern economy. To help meet that goal, the AWC’s Statewide Educational Attainment Committee is holding regional stakeholder focus group meetings to gather information and support the development of a strategic plan. There is a specific focus on the attainment of recognized credentials and certificates.

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week and as a continued effort to help address the needs of industry in the region, Central Six AlabamaWorks held a Manufacturing Cluster meeting on Nov. 16 focused on apprenticeship models. National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity for leaders in the business and education communities to express their support of apprenticeship programs and increase awareness of their importance to growing a skilled workforce. The United State Department of Labor began National Apprenticeship Week in 2015, and in 2016 more than 96,000 people participated in apprenticeship events nationwide.

Three of Kamtek Inc.’s apprentices.

At the meeting, manufacturing businesses were given an overview of the benefits of apprenticeship programs and why they are an effective way to “grow your own” workforce to meet the needs of businesses. Kamtek made a presentation on its registered apprenticeship program, which focuses on high-demand careers, including tool and die and machinist tool technology training. In addition, Kamtek apprentices spoke directly to the group about their experience in the program, and the cluster members had the opportunity to tour the apprenticeship shop in the Kamtek facility.

Central Six will continue to support the development of apprenticeship programs in the region and throughout the state and encourages businesses to consider these programs as an opportunity to positively impact their workforce challenges. For more information on National Apprenticeship Week and to access materials provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, please visit dol.gov/apprenticeship/naw. For more information on Apprenticeship Alabama, visit apprenticeshipalabama.org.

Kamtek Inc. hosted Region 4’s Manufacturing Cluster meeting on Nov. 16.