From the Chancellor

Two-year college system must take care of future workforce challenges

By Mark Heinrich
Alabama Community College Chancellor

Posted on al.com on February 07, 2013 at 7:54 a.m.

While the national economy continues to recover at a glacial pace, Alabama is on a roll. Airbus will break ground on a $600 million aircraft manufacturing facility in Mobile this spring, creating 3,200 construction jobs and eventually 1,000 high-tech manufacturing jobs. Austal USA, which makes ships for the U.S. Navy, will continue adding jobs this year with 1,000 potential new positions.

The year 2012 was full of smaller expansion announcements as well. Huntsville's Toyota engine plant broke ground on an expansion in 2012 that will add 125 jobs, and an automotive supplier located in Talladega just opened its doors, with plans to have a 200-strong workforce. I could go on, but the bottom line is things are looking up here at home.

That said, these big opportunities also present us with big challenges. The biggest among them is the need to train unemployed and underemployed Alabamians, along with our next generation, so that they might take advantage of the jobs of the future.

That begins with a healthy and growing two-year college system that is ready to rise to the challenge. I cannot imagine a more exciting time to have been given the opportunity to lead the Alabama Community College System as chancellor, and I am confident that we have a team in place that is in fact ready to rise.

As we begin planning ambitious new objectives for our system to ensure that it will serve as a foundation for the state to meet workforce demands, we will request increased support from the state. On Tuesday, the Alabama Legislative Fiscal Office reported that Alabama's Education Trust Fund would have more available dollars for the upcoming school year. While the state certainly needs to continue to invest in all levels of education, it seems clear that our continued economic success depends on an investment in post-secondary training.

I recognize that increased investment will demand increased responsibility. We are ready for that at the ACCS. Here are a few of the things we are doing to be ready to meet expectations:

• We have launched a system-wide evaluation of programs to assess whether they are delivered efficiently and properly address education and training needs.
• We are expanding partnerships with business and industry to grow technical training programs designed to fill skills gaps in fields such as welding, auto manufacturing, shipbuilding and aviation. Our institutions have partnerships with 1,200 businesses across the state, and we intend to increase that number by 30 percent in the next 12-18 months.
• We are exploring the possibility of making dual enrollments programs free for high school students in order to introduce young people to career training and workforce opportunities before they leave high school.
• We are developing plans for a GED scholarship program, and we would target that program to increase participation rates in our Adult Education programs in areas of Alabama plagued by high unemployment and low literacy rates.

Above all, our activities will be marked by accountability, transparency and integrity. As part of a new strategic plan launched for the system, we will ensure that the governance of the ACCS is effectively focused and driven by results. We will study organizational structures and make changes if necessary.

We recognize that the system's past is plagued by imperfections, and that lawmakers and the public may have lingering doubt in our ability to meet the challenges ahead. But we will rise to the challenge because we know that the future of our state depends on it. We know that the 250,000 people whose lives we touched last year represent the cornerstone on which Alabama's economy will continue to be built.

We also know that the system is full of success stories. From our incredible training partnerships with manufacturers to the graduation rate of the students we send on to four-year schools, Alabama's community colleges are already doing remarkable things. But with support from our state, we can do more for Alabama at a time when its economy is gaining momentum and creating the need for more skilled workers. It's a major part of our mission, and Alabama can count on us.