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MONTGOMERY — Mark Heinrich, chancellor of the state's 25-school community college system, says he regularly gets calls from manufacturers around the state. They are looking for skilled employees.
"I hear from the automotive industry, and their suppliers, on a regular basis," Heinrich said on Wednesday. "I hear from the aviation area about the demands there. I hear an awful lot from the allied health area, particularly nursing. That trajectory is as steep as any.
"On a monthly, even weekly basis, we have a demand for more welders."
Aligning the state's education institutions with business and industry and their needs is a goal of the Alabama Workforce Council, created last year. This week, the council gave Gov. Robert Bentley a report containing its recommendations on how to better coordinate education and industry.
"This is one of the most important things we can do to bring industry to Alabama and help companies grow," Bentley said.
Several of the recommendations involve better coordination within the state's current workforce development network and marketing and promotion. Heinrich said that often, parents and students don't know that there are good-paying jobs available that don't require a four-year degree. Some require less than two years at a community college.
"When you start talking about jobs in the $40,000- to $100,000-a-year range, you usually get their attention, but we find that they usually (haven't heard) that," Heinrich said. "So, that's on us; we just haven't done a good job. With the backing of the Workforce Council, I think we'll be able to push the word out there in a better way."
Bentley said that on Tuesday, he spoke with representatives from a company interested in coming to Alabama — he wouldn't say who it was or where it was looking — but the first question asked was about workforce skills.
Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said industries expect trained workers.
"As we focus more on advanced manufacturing, on research and product development — very high-skilled positions that create high-paying wage opportunities — companies want workers who have the skills necessary so they have to do the minimal amount of training," Canfield said..
"Today's opportunities in advanced manufacturing are more about technical skills and problem-solving abilities than they are about manual labor."
Bentley said he is going to review the council's recommendations to see what he wants to put in place. Some could become proposed legislation or executive orders.
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