On July 10, Gov. Kay Ivey thanked two seasoned industry veterans for their service as the chairman and vice chairman of the Alabama Workforce Council as they rotated off the board. She also appointed the two new AWC leaders who will take their place. The changes were announced at the AWC’s bi-monthly meeting.

Tim McCartney was named as the new chairman, while Sandra Koblas of Austal LLC in Mobile was appointed as vice chairman. They assumed the positions from Zeke Smith of Alabama Power (chairman) and George Clark of Manufacture Alabama (vice chairman).

To read more, click on one of these links:  Alabama Today  Alabama Political Reporter, Gadsden Times.

Photos: Governor Ivey recognizes Zeke Smith (left) and George Clark (right) for their contributions to the AWC.

Sandra Koblas, George Clark, Zeke Smith and Tim McCartney represent the seasoned leadership that started the AWC and those who will continue its mission in moving forward to streamline the needs of business and industry with education to achieve a skilled workforce.

The accolades for Alabama as a business-friendly state continue to rise, as a national magazine recently named our state as the best in which to conduct business.

According to Business Facilities magazine, Alabama’s successful recruitment of the Toyota-Mazda joint venture automobile manufacturing plant to illustrate the state’s appeal. The project, announced in January 2018, calls for a $1.6 billion investment and 4,000 new jobs in Huntsville.

Read more here.

By: Ed Castile

To read more, click on one of the following links:  Yellowhammer, Alabama Political Reporter, 4Conservative, pettinga.com and AL.com.

Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield recently appeared on national television to share his thoughts on how recently-announced trade tariffs will affect Alabamians and Alabama. In particular, he referenced the state’s booming auto industry.

Canfield appeared on the show with host Stuart Varney. Watch here.

The Alabama Department of Labor recently announced that the state’s June unemployment rate bumped up to 4.1 percent from May’s rate of 3.9 percent. The bump is common during the summer months as both high school and college graduates look to enter the job market, along with some education employees being free as school is out.

But, numbers can be a funny thing when it comes to figuring out the overall picture of Alabama’s workforce. While the unemployment rate is a good indicator, there are many other factors that come into play when getting a full employment picture. And since the Great Recession, Alabama’s workforce numbers have never been better.

Read more here.

Ivey in May introduced a plan called the Sentry Program that will allow administrators to use a gun to defend against an armed intruder.

Read more at BirminghamWatch.

This will allow Alabama to continue supporting skills-based job opportunities of existing companies, and it will allow our state to remain competitive in attracting new businesses.

Although there are many paths to obtaining skills and credentials, few are as appealing as registered apprenticeships. They are a win/win/win for the apprentice, the company and the community college.

Recently, Apprenticeship Alabama’s Patsy Richards spoke with WAKA about the wonderful opportunities this program provides. Watch her here.

Click hereto listen to the interview on Yellowhammer Radio, WYDE.

• Modern General Store Is on the Way. The Cullman Times
• GE to Expand in Decatur. WHNT
• Coal Company to Re-Open. Yellowhammer
• Wallace State Community College Students Win Big at SkillsUSA Competition. The Cullman Times.
• LG Electronics to Build Solar Panels. Alabama Daily News
• Student Gets Faster Route to Good Career. Decatur Daily
• BAE Expanding, Adding Hundreds of Jobs. AL.com

These students are taught the various duties and functions needed to operate the water reclamation facilities in Jefferson County and are exposed to local government structure and networking opportunities.

From eight applications received this year, four students were chosen for the internship, representing the following high schools: Clay-Chalkville, Midfield and Bessemer City. These juniors and seniors participated in a four-week, paid internship beginning on June 5 and concluding on June 29. During the internship, the students participated in various career exposure and practical hands-on work activities that included sampling water, analyzing control samples, reading meters, touring facilities and learning the duties of various water reclamation jobs. The interns also participated in two career education workshops: Time Management and Tips on Developing an Effective Resume. They also met with local leaders and presented a group project to their parents and other Jefferson County staff members.

Photo: Interns include Shemar Spivey (Clay-Chalkville High School); Tamara Slaughter (Clay-Chalkville High School); Ramon Murrell (Midfield High School); and Mi’Kayla Stinson (Bessemer City High School).

In her interview, she also mentioned the region’s new initiative, Building (It) Together, which is designed to help the area achieve Gov. Ivey’s Success Plus benchmark of 500,000 post-high-school credentialed workers by 2025.

Click to listen to her interview. Yellowhammer.

Central Six AlabamaWorks, Power UP,  Associated Builders & Contractors of Alabama and Fairfield High Preparatory School hosted the Power UP Construction Industry Workshop & Job Fair on June 21 at Fairfield High Preparatory School. This event served as an introduction to the construction industry for the Fairfield K-12 system and also served as a hiring fair to connect employers with skilled talent to address their immediate needs. The goal of this event is to supply employers with a qualified pool of talent to fill their immediate needs and provide an opportunity to develop future workers to fill long-term workforce needs.

The high school students who attended the event said that they appreciated the “nuggets” and insight company representatives provided them in support of developing their employability skills, and some are more strongly considering construction as a career option. Approximately 65 community residents received the opportunity to directly engage and interview with industry representatives.Thirty percent of attendees have already been hired and are now on a true career pathway. Central Six officials said that they very proud of these accomplishments and look forward to hosting more outreach events of this nature.

Kurt Jones began his employment with Brose right out of high school. Although he was advancing at the company, he was not satisfied with his career path and knew he needed to expand his education.

Jones’ supervisor told him about a Mechatronics Apprenticeship opportunity with Lawson State Community College which guaranteed advancement at Brose upon successful completion of the program. He is continuing to keep his hours at Brose while completing the apprenticeship program.

Watch and listen to his story here.

• Lawson State Community College Hosts New Coding Initiative for Students. CBS 42
• Birmingham Should Align Education with Workforce Development. AL.com
• Bobo Talks Career Planning. 280 Reporter
• High School Senior Finds Calling in Machine Tool Work. Daily Mountain Eagle
• Girls Get Firsthand Experience With Trades. AL.com
• SHIPT Says 881 Jobs are Coming to Birmingham. Alabama News Center

That includes manufacturing and health care education, as well as noncredit training programs for some of the most sought-after skills, like truck driving.

Read more here.

Central AlabamaWorks! hosted a grant review committee meeting along with subject matter experts to review 15 special pops grants. Six of the seven community colleges in Region 5 applied for funding.

The committee reviewed and scored the applications and made recommendations to the Alabama Community College System for funding.

The Central AlabamaWorks team, along with staff from the Career Center in Opelika, connected dislocated MasterBrand Cabinets employees with 50 employers/vendors at a recent job fair hosted by the Opelika Career Center and Southern Union State Community College.

At the event, 251 workers registered with the Career Center and were assisted in securing additional resources and possible employment. In addition, several of the participants connected with another cabinet maker in the area.

After 21 years in the military, Kenneth Gowins was struggling to find a job in the civilian world. He credits the instructors at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and their relationships with local industry for the opportunity he had to learn a trade while also receiving on-the-job training. Gowins is currently employed as a blacksmith for the city of Columbus, Georgia.

Watch him talk about his experience here.

• Pipe Company is En Route. Selma Times-Journal
• Hyundai Makes Major Announcement.WSFA
• Trenholm Announces First Automotive Tech Class in the State. Alabama News
• Auburn is a Magnet for International Precision. Business Alabama
• Company Starts Up. Birmingham Business Journal
• Auburn University is the First to Use Robot for Construction Project. WTVM
• Southern Union Gets New President. O-A News

In mid-July, the Wiregrass hosted a job fair at Northview High School for Fort Rucker and hundreds of businesses in the area. Thousands arrived dressed to impress, with resumes’ in hand, to learn about opportunities with local companies.

Watch footage of the event on WTVY.

Many jobs are still available. To see learn more, click here.

• Council Approves Permanent Financing for Kimber. Troy Messenger
• Rex Lumber Announces Investment, Jobs. WSFA

• Uber, Lyft Launch Statewide. Troy Messenger
• Invest in Early Childhood Education to Produce a Booming Economy. The Tuscaloosa News
• Team Showcases Alabama at SelectUSA. Alabama Today
• PARCA Releases Findings about Class of 2017. PARCA
• Educators are Secret Weapon at Farnborough. Made in Alabama

• Younger Generation Missing Out on Skilled Jobs. WOSU
• Pruitt Exits EPA. Alabama Today
• Employers Vie for Foreign Workers. The Randle Report
• Skills You Need for the Future. The Randle Report
• IDA Creates Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Weststar Communications
• Builders Coping with Construction Worker Shortage. USA Today
• Trucker Shortage Could Undermine Booming Economy. MSN
• Jos are Plentiful; Workers are Not. FOXNews
• Jobs Added, But Unemployment Rises. USA Today
• Interim EPA Chief Is Former Coal Lobbyist. Energy Central
• Trade Deficit Drops in May. Alabama Daily News
• Apprenticeships Are Thriving in Chicago. The Hill
• Contractors, Tech and Education Will Bridge Workforce Gap. Energy Central