BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Feb.16, 2023) – The Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and FuelAL, a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), are proud to announce partnership in hosting the Second Annual Governor’s Summit on Talent Retention & Work-Based Learning. The Summit will take place in Mobile, Alabama, at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel, May 3-5, 2023.

The Summit will bring together employers, educators, economic developers and workforce professionals from across Alabama to learn best practices in talent retention & workforce development. Keynote speakers and panelists representing each sector will share their unique perspectives on how talent retention and work-based learning can benefit each component of a successful economy.

The Summit will also offer various breakout and panel sessions focused on topics such as apprenticeship, career pathways, and other work-based learning resources. Attendees will gain valuable workforce development tools and resources to better equip them.

Read More and Register For the Summit!

The Alabama State Board of Education took two momentous steps forward during their November 10, 2022, meeting.

The Board approved an administrative rule code that will require students to complete at least one college or career readiness indicator prior to graduating, beginning with the class of 2028. The Board also passed a resolution enabling the State Department of Education to collect data on teacher absenteeism.

The Alabama Workforce Council (AWC) was proud to lead the charge on these two policies as part of the AWC’s 10 points on K-12 education. The AWC worked alongside Governor Ivey and the Business Education Alliance of Alabama for five years on the College and Career Readiness Policy and for over two years on the teacher attendance resolution.

Dr. Mackey and the State Board of Education are to be commended for their leadership. The College and Career Readiness rule passed by a vote of 5-2 and the attendance resolution passed unanimously.

Prior to the vote on the college and career readiness policy, Governor Ivey stated, “. . . closing the gap between the graduation rate and the college and career readiness rate is about more than just numbers—this is about closing opportunity gaps by making sure that our students are ready to take the next step.”

“Since the rule does not take effect until 2028, we have plenty of time to work with local school districts to expand access to a variety of college and career readiness indicators to meet the interests of every student.”

“This is not about adding one more requirement, it is about measuring what matters. This vote will focus our attention and energy on making sure resources are where they need to be.”

“There is nothing more important we can do than graduate our students ready for the next step.  The adoption of this rule signals our commitment to this most sacred duty.”

Governor Ivey’s words are not only true but serve as a road map for implementing these new policies.

The fact that the State Board of Education amended its budget request to add a $25 million college and career readiness attainment fund, coupled with the five-year implementation timeline, will give us time to expand access to quality career readiness indicators that meet the interests of all students and prepare them for in-demand careers.

At first glance, the college and career readiness completion policy and the attendance data collection policy do not seem connected.

When we consider teacher chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school days during a single school year—is linked to student college and career readiness, the connection becomes obvious.

When a teacher is absent, students do not receive the same level of instruction that they are accustomed to receiving.

Why measure teacher absenteeism?  Because a student’s leader in the classroom is the teacher.  If leaders are not held accountable to high standards, then it is useless to try and hold students to the same high standard.  The federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) reported that 37 percent of Alabama’s teachers were chronically absent during the 2017-2018 school year; however, OCR stopped reporting these data the following year.  We currently do not know if teacher absenteeism has remained high since the 2017-2018 school year because Alabama has not been collecting the data necessary to make that determination.

Since the 2017-2018 school year, the Legislature passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Allen Baker’s that allows teachers to roll over unused sick days. Prior to that legislation, teachers may have inadvertently contributed to the chronic absenteeism rate as reported by the OCR due to the fact that they had to use their unused sick days or lose them

The lack of available data is the reason why the AWC and Governor Ivey wanted to work with Dr. Mackey and the State Board of Education to pass the teacher attendance data resolution.

The new policy will create an additional burden on our teachers and schools.  Local school districts already have the necessary data; it just needs to be tracked.

The resolution is not about singling out teachers. People must miss work for a variety of legitimate reasons, and teachers have fought hard over the years to earn the paid leave they have available. Nevertheless, data is needed to help us understand the comprehensive effects of student and teacher absenteeism on student achievement.

If a student is absent 18 days (10 percent of the 180-day school year) and their teacher is absent 18 days, that is potentially 36 days of missed instruction, which equals 20 percent of the school year.

Given all the other disruptions during the school day (i.e., assemblies, pep rallies, student organization meetings, etc.), is it unacceptable that students are potentially missing 1 in 5 days of instruction due to the collective effects of chronic absenteeism?

Once we collect the data, we can dig deeper and begin to unpack the reasons leading to student and teacher chronic absenteeism.  For example, how do school culture and climate affect attendance? How do building and district leadership impact attendance?

As we are celebrating increased scores on the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP). Alabama moved substantially up in the National Assessment of Education Program rankings primarily because Alabama students returned to school faster during Covid than other states.  . However, once the rest of the country gets back to the classrooms we could fall back in the rankings once more.  We must continue to measure performance and improve in the areas where we are weakest.    Getting to the bottom of chronic absenteeism is one way to do so.  We need to measure our performance and determine the root causes of chronic absenteeism to make improvements.

Measurement of performance goes hand in hand with leadership. Effective leaders constantly analyze data to make better decisions to improve performance.  Leadership matters.

MONTGOMERY, Ala – Despite the lingering economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report says Alabama’s workforce stands stronger today than it did one year ago.  “The Alabama Workforce Council (AWC) has been strengthened as an organization over the past year.  Our advocacy with state agencies and the Legislature has led to policy outcomes that will improve the lives of thousands of Alabamians,” said AWC Chair Tim McCartney and Vice Chair Sandra Koblas in a letter to Gov. Ivey and legislators that accompanies the report.

In partnership with the Alabama Legislature, the AWC successfully worked to increase funding for dual enrollment for career and technical education for high school students, reduce teacher chronic absenteeism and grow the educator workforce pipeline.  The Fiscal Year 2022 Education Trust Fund Budget included a $3 million increase for the dual enrollment program, which brought total funding for the program to $21.2 million. An $11 million increase for the K-12 Career Tech Initiative nearly doubled the total investment in the program to $19.3 million. Plus, there was a new $10 million investment in the Alabama Community College System’s Innovation Center for rapid worker training.

“Considering these successes, we are not resting on our laurels. In 2022, we will be focusing on completing our system for connecting talent and opportunity, known as the Alabama Talent Triad, increasing the labor force participation rate, and making tremendous progress against the Success Plus postsecondary education attainment goals,” said McCartney and Koblas.

Other highlights in the report about the AWC’s efforts are:

• ATLAS on Career Pathways, the state’s interagency data-sharing system, was implemented and will provide the data that’s needed to identify in-demand careers and credentials.
• The Alabama Credential Registry launched as the first of three technology solutions that comprise the Alabama Talent Triad, which will be used to scale skills-based hiring and competency-based learning practices in Alabama.
• The AWC partnered with Governor Ivey and the State Board of Education to pass a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion policy that will open the doors to postsecondary education and the workforce for all of Alabama’s high school graduates.
• The Alabama Computer Science Summit resumed after a one-year hiatus caused by COVID-19.
• These successes and others are helping to achieve Gov. Ivey’s Success Plus goal of adding 500,000 highly skilled Alabamians to the workforce by 2025.

The full report can be viewed here.

The Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (AOA) has recently launched an interactive dashboard to promote registered apprenticeship expansion in Alabama. Developed in partnership with the University of Alabama Education Policy Center, this multipurpose dashboard is one of the first in the country to provide a diverse set of stakeholders with a one-stop-shop to explore current registered apprenticeships at the state level. The tool also gives users the opportunity to learn about all of the apprenticeable and in-demand occupations for which a program can be built.

The AOA has greatly anticipated the launch of this site and is excited to share it with the public. “We are proud of the work that the University of Alabama Education Policy Center (EPC) has done to create an innovative tool that will help all Alabamians access apprenticeship opportunities,” said Josh Laney, Director of the AOA. “This one-of-a-kind dashboard is another example of how Alabama is striving to provide high-quality customer service to our employers in meeting their workforce needs, as well as expanding career pathways for our citizens.”

“It is a privilege for this Center and The University of Alabama to be of service to business and state leaders working to achieve Governor Kay Ivey’s important goal of 500,000 more Alabamians with recognized credentials and certificates by 2025,” said Dr. Steve Katsinas, EPC Director.  “Helping more Alabamians into better jobs is good for our state and nation, and that is exactly what the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship is doing.”

The tool was created to provide useful, up-to-date information for anyone interested in an apprenticeship, including students, parents, training providers, workforce agencies, and employers. For employers, this dashboard offers an ability to search for potential apprenticeship opportunities applicable to their company. On the other hand, high school students can use it to explore local apprenticeship opportunities for which they can apply.  Better still is that all of this information and more can be accessed interactively, through tools like a point-and-click map, or statically through downloadable tables and exported graphics. That way, users of the dashboard can view the information they want, however they want.

So far the AOA team has shared a beta version of the dashboard with workforce partners across Alabama who could benefit from its existence. Among the first to benefit were the Alabama Career Center staff who work with job seekers and employers. Recently, a focus group of apprenticeship employers has been included in the beta to review the dashboard’s effectiveness as a promotional tool for their programs at both the local and state level.

The dashboard can be found on the AOA’s website (www.alapprentice.org). To take full advantage of what the dashboard has to offer, it is recommended that new users check out the instructional videos and user documentation found on the website. If further assistance is needed, or if you are interested in learning more about an apprenticeship program in your area, please contact your local AOA project manager at alapprentice.org/contact/. If you have any feedback or additional questions, please contact the AOA at info@alapprentice.org.

Right now is the best time to pursue a career in transportation or distribution, a trend only forecasted to increase.  To keep pace with demand and create a pipeline of qualified employees the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (AOA) has worked with industry partners Billy Barnes Enterprises and Reid State Technical College to establish the first competency-based Commercial Driver Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program in the state and commemorated it with a signing day for new apprentices.

Registered apprenticeships are nationally recognized and proven training models that allow participants to “earn while they learn.”  This program represents a concerted effort in building and developing viable talent pipelines and encouraging Alabama job seekers to enter these life-changing career pathways.

“The demand for commercial drivers will only continue to grow. Apprenticeships like this help provide a pathway for job seekers to stable, high-quality career opportunities,” stated Josh Laney, Director of the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship. “The creation of these meaningful training and employment opportunities, in partnership with champion employers like Billy Barnes Enterprises, is a benefit to the individual apprentices, the local economy, and Alabama as a whole.”

Governor Kay Ivey’s Success Plus goal calls for the addition of 500,000 highly skilled workers to the workforce by 2025 to meet the needs of industry and help Alabamians advance into high-demand, high-wage occupations.  This innovative program will meet the needs of employers and employees while growing Alabama’s robust transportation industry.

“The Alabama Trucking Association Foundation is proud of the partnership forged with our community colleges and high schools to bring this program to life,” stated Tim Frazier. “We have high hopes that this model apprenticeship program can be replicated throughout the state and will accelerate many new talented individuals to start a career in Alabama Trucking.”

Alabama A&M University is taking education and training to a new level with the development of this apprenticeship program, in the field of Social Work.  By creating this program Alabama A&M, a HBCU (Historically Black College and University), is establishing a career path for non-traditional enrollments by non-traditional students.  Historically apprenticeships have focused on the trade industries with larger male enrollment.  An apprenticeship in social work is a new concept, and the social work field is predominantly female. Social workers are critically important to the nagging social ills that undermine so many lives and communities and the demand for them is continually on the rise.

This program has a lot of “firsts”, but what’s really in it for the workforce?

What’s in it for students?  At the successful completion of the apprenticeship program, students will have credentials that demonstrate mastery in this field:  a TCM (Targeted Case Management) Certificate from the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Alabama State Board Licensure, a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW on-the-job training that sets them up for success.  As an additional benefit, the cost of tuition and training during the program are covered. Combined with Alabama’s Last Dollar Scholarship policy the apprentice’s costs for books and tuition are covered by the employer.

What’s in it for employers?

Social workers are in demand, and this demand will only increase.  In a competitive job market providing this program establishes a pipeline of qualified social workers while assuring they have mastered the competencies behind the credentials.   It ultimately reduces recruitment and retention costs for the employer and provides them new employees with the skills and experience they need to be productive.

What’s in it for Alabama?

This program demonstrates the AOA and Alabama A&M’s dedication to providing exceptional educational opportunities and economic benefits to our state and underserved populations.  It helps to fill the demand for qualified social workers in our state and creates a long-lasting pipeline of qualified professionals in our state who will continue to meet the needs of our citizens.

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