BUSINESS MATTERS
Karin Hopkins
Dr. Jacqueline Brooks will share good news concerning the Macon County school system with the audience that watches WSFA TV 12 to learn about regional news and events. Dr. Brooks will discuss the Industrial Maintenance program, which is offered at the Career & Technical Education (CTE) Center. This training involves robotics, pneumatics, hydraulics and other industrial skills that are necessary to work in the automotive or aerospace industries. This training is major and can help unemployed and underemployed Macon County residents land good paying jobs. And the training is free. There is even a mobile bus outfitted with the training equipment that can pull into your neighborhood so the instruction can happen close to where you live. The program cost $2 million paid by the Appalachian Regional Commission supplemented by in-kind contributions from the Macon County Board of Education, Macon County Economic Development Authority, City of Tuskegee and Trenholm State Community College. The way it’s set up, Macon County high school students are trained on the equipment in a CTE classroom during the regular school day and adults are scheduled for evening hours. Though the grant was in the works before the T-100 project, the training could help local residents prepare for jobs connected with the T-100 manufacturing plant that could locate at Moton Field when the U.S. Air Force makes a decision about the next generation of trainer jets. Spencer Ferguson, an electrical engineer who has been hired to teach the Industrial Maintenance courses, will join Dr. Brooks for the televised interview. Watch ALABAMA LIVE at 11:00am, Wednesday, February 7, 2018 on WSFA TV 12. And also encourage people who want to upgrade their skills, to look into the free training by calling 334.727.0900. We can thank State Representative Pebblin Warren, Superintendent Brooks, Joe Turnham, Al Davis former Tuskegee City Manager and current Director of Workforce Development at Southern Union State Community College, Tuskegee city officials and others for securing the $2 million grant that has life-changing implications for students who complete the training. An investment of this size does not come along every day and the implications are far-reaching in terms of personal ambitions, family dynamics, community socioeconomics, potential tax revenue growth and BUSINESS MATTERS.
Karin Hopkins is executive director of the Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce and also co-founder of ECHOboom, a digital media platform. Contact her at ourchamberworks@gmail.com.
