Alabama business leaders announce AlabamaWorks, new unified workforce system
Alabama business, education and workforce training leaders made a major announcement Tuesday at the RSA Center for Commerce in Montgomery about the state’s workforce development system. Together they will transform the state’s workforce development efforts into one unified system, AlabamaWorks, that will seamlessly link employers looking for skilled workers with Alabamians seeking jobs or job training. “The Alabama Workforce Council and our partners are focused on helping transform the state’s workforce system to dramatically improve the livelihoods for millions of Alabama families for years to come,” said Zeke Smith, executive vice president at Alabama Power Co. and chairman of the Alabama Workforce Council (AWC). “We are doing that today by providing a tool to match the needs of employers with job seekers across our state to grow our economy and raise the standard of living for Alabamians.” Tuesday’s announcement marked a major milestone in the unification of Alabama’s workforce system, bringing together key components of the K-12 and two-year college systems, state workforce training and placement services, and industry. “We didn’t want to settle for a mere touch-up. We called for a new identity, a new brand – recognizable, descriptive and effective,” George Clark, president of Manufacture Alabama and vice chairman of the AWC remarked. “And we needed everyone involved in workforce development – state agencies, education and the business sector – all pulling together in the same direction.” AlabamaWorks will more easily connect businesses with job seekers and help prepare workers by linking them to career and job training opportunities. Over the course of the next year, each of the state’s seven newly restructured Regional Workforce Councils will integrate its services into the new AlabamaWorks brand. Ed Castile, deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce and executive director of Alabama Industrial Development and Training (AIDT), said the backbone of AlabamaWorks will be the seven local Regional Workforce Councils, local Alabama Career Centers and the new AlabamaWorks website. “Our system is driven by local businesses and will therefore be responsive to the current and future needs of businesses in Alabama,” Castile explained. “Each Regional Workforce Council will be able to focus on the business sectors within its geographical area.” AlabamaWorks is the result of an ambitious, business-driven initiative and partnership between leaders in the private and public sectors. “Today is about a lot more than a new brand and new logo,” added Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “It’s about taking Alabama to the national forefront of workforce development so that every person in Alabama who wants to find a job can, and so that every employer that comes to Alabama will be able to hire the skilled workers it needs. We truly believe that we are building a system that will soon become a national model.”
Robert Bentley submits state’s workforce plan to federal government
On Friday, Gov. Robert Bentley released a statement announcing that the Governor’s Combined State Plan on workforce development and training opportunities has been submitted to the federal government. The plan defines the actions that will be taken to implement the 2015 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and is meant to serve as a guide for improving workforce development. The plan was developed by the Alabama Workforce Development Board and was submitted to the governor earlier this week. “I appreciate the hard work of the Alabama Workforce Development Board to develop a comprehensive plan to guide our state over the next four years,” Bentley said in a press release. “The workforce development plan shows that many state agencies are working together to create opportunities to grow Alabama’s workforce, to make sure job seekers have the skills needed to fill positions desired by employers, and that qualified Alabama citizens are filling those jobs.” Monthly task force meetings between “representatives from the core and partner state agencies” began July 2015. The meetings were designed to “share agency resources, identify needs for new or improved services and programs, and to identify areas where duplicated or competing services can be eliminated.” Action items in the plan were based on initiatives created by the Accelerate Alabama Strategic Economic Development Plan and those recommended by the Alabama Workforce Council. Bentley notes in the press release that the plan is “a product of collaboration, alignment of programs and efficient use of resources through the various partner programs.” “The Alabama Workforce Development Board, which was appointed by Governor Robert Bentley, brings the state of Alabama closer to full alignment between business, industry, and education and bringing those sectors together with job seekers,” George Clark, chair of the AWD Board, said in the statement. “Alabama’s Workforce Investment Board is composed of representatives of the Alabama Workforce Council, the Regional Workforce Development Councils and key industry sectors, as outlined in the Accelerate Alabama plan. On behalf of the AWD Board of Directors, I would like to thank Governor Bentley for his continued leadership in workforce development and economic development in the state of Alabama.” “The WIOA is a sweeping piece of legislation that will impact a significant portion of our population,” Fitzgerald Washington, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Labor said. “The Alabama Career Center System is at the front line in providing the valuable services covered under the Act. These services will allow people to get additional vocational or educational training, earn degrees, and ultimately reach their goal of finding gainful employment. We are proud to present this plan which gives us the ability to work with all of these wonderful partners to help Alabamians’ dreams come true.” The WIOA is designed to ensure that eligible citizens have the assistance necessary to become work ready through Adult Workforce programs, Dislocated Worker Programs, Youth Training Programs, Adult Education and Vocational Rehabilitation services. These programs are managed by the state through various departments and funded by Commerce WIOA funds.
