New programs offer students immediate job placement in high-demand industries—learn more

Students—are you having trouble with your job hunt? The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Innovation Center is working to rapidly train workers for the state’s highest-demand industries, with immediate job placement. Keep reading for more details.

Get job-ready 💼

The brand-new Innovation Center is a $10M investment aimed at training students through several industry-designed programs to help them find immediate employment.

At the Center’s launch, ACCS staff, students and partners demonstrated some of the training programs. The programs involve short-term classes that you can start from anywhere in the state, and finish with an in-person lab at any ACCS location.

Upon completion of the training, students are job-ready and awarded a credential and an opportunity to earn more certifications at their chosen local community college.

“Every Alabamian deserves an opportunity to succeed in the state’s economy. It’s not always that someone needs two years at the community college to make them have the skills viable for the labor market, so we have found a way to expedite the training so we can move people more rapidly into the market.”

Jimmy H. Baker, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System

Access to high-demand industries

The rapid training approach from the Innovation Center could help solve some of Alabama’s supply chain and worker shortage issues. Several industries available for rapid training at the Center include:

• butchery
• facilities maintenance
• heavy equipment
• hospitality
• plumbing
• recreation
• trucking

One industry that is suffering a critical shortage is trucking, with over 80,000 positions available.

“These are high-quality jobs offering great pay and endless career path opportunities. We are proud to partner with the Alabama Community College System to ramp up efforts to attract and connect job-seekers with the training they need to enter the trucking industry.”

Mark Colson, President and CEO of the Alabama Trucking Association

Begin your ACCS journey

Additionally, the Innovation Center has teamed up with the Alabama Tourism Department to help workers train for and find jobs in the state’s $16B hospitality industry.

All graduates of this training project, hosted by Coastal Community College, were matched with jobs and 100% of students were hired upon completion of the training.

The ACCS has already received funding to help further develop the Innovation Center to expand skills training and programs that provide nationally recognized certifications in high-demand industries.

“We are so glad to see the birth of this new center as it will showcase our creativity and our ability to meet the needs of our local industries and grant us access to partnerships that will aid in enhancing the opportunities we are able to present to our students and the community.”

Dr. Cynthia T. Anthony, President of Lawson State Community College

Looking to enroll? Visit their website for more information.

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