Among officials in Winston County in attendance at the recent workforce development meeting, from left, Haleyville Chamber of Commerce President Mike Evans; Winston Career Academy Director Adam Gray; Winston County Schools Superintendent Jeff Scott; Winston County Commission Chairman David Cummings; Double Springs Mayor Kim Miller and Winston County District 1 Commissioner Rutger Hyche.
DOUBLE SPRINGS - Efforts are underway to bridge gaps between industry and education in a mission to also increase profitability and improve workforce and economic development.
“We want to talk about industrial maintenance needs here in Winston County,” Keith Jones, a consultant hired by the Winston County Industrial Development Authority, told an audience during a meeting held Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Double Springs Municipal Building.
Attendance at the meeting ranged from industrial leaders to community colleges, the Winston Career Academy and other economic development and workforce organizations.
Jones, who helped organize the meeting with Jim Byard, a consultant with the IDA, noted they had traveled throughout the county, finding out that one of the greatest needs among industry leaders is for maintenance employees.
“They need maintenance employees to
upgrade their skill set,” Jones pointed out. “The second thing that industry has talked about is robotics.”
Fifty-three percent of Winston County’s available workforce is sitting at home, Jones emphasized.
Byard explained that a series of meetings to bridge gaps between industry and education began earlier this year.
“Industrial maintenance came out as a big need,” Byard stated. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out what are the gaps and how can we fix them.
“Also, Winston County has an aging workforce,” Jones continued. “That is a lot of concern for industry throughout Winston County.”
See complete story in the Northwest Alabamian.
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