Published: October 15, 2007 11:06 pm      

Region becoming WIRED for job training

Recently Gov. Haley Barbour, and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, announced an advanced job training program unlike any western Alabama or eastern Mississippi has seen.

Called the West Alabama, East Mississippi Alliance (WAEM), the new program will bring together eight learning institutions in the area, or region as it is referred to, in order to provide a virtual, Internet-based training system. State and college leaders from both states say this program will create a globally competitive region through the birth of an innovative, regional work force education and training system to address key skills.

“What this means to our work force in eastern Mississippi and western Alabama is much easier access to skills critical to obtaining high paying, technical jobs,” said Barbour Monday evening at the Young Professionals of Meridian meeting. “Training the work force will only prepare them for a better career and help convince industries to call eastern Mississippi and western Alabama their home.”

The region has lost in the recent past the opportunity to lure two major automobile industry giants, Toyota and Hyundai. Barbour said this initiative will only make future industries considering placing their operations in this region of the Southeast think long and hard before moving on elsewhere.

“The reason we didn’t get Hyundai was not because of the quality of our workers but rather because of the quantity,” Barbour said. “This program will increase the number of tech savvy workers in this area.”

College presidents, such as Neal Morrison of Bevill State Community College, said, “With the unemployment rate in Alabama less than four percent, we must look at qualifying those who are not normally involved in hi-tech manufacturing or who cannot attend a traditional setting, as well as those graduating from our secondary school system.”

“For our region to be competitive in the world economy, we must provide the means to develop the highly skilled work force that will be required to retain and attract jobs and industry to our region,” said East Central Mississippi Community College President Phil Sutphin.



The other colleges taking part in WAEM are, Alabama Southern, Shelton State and Wallace-Selma in Alabama, and East Mississippi, Jones County Junior College and Meridian Community College.

The new regional training system, to be employed by the eight colleges, will be supported by $4 million in WIRED investments to stand-up and upgrade advanced manufacturing training. Indiana-based Amatrol, who developed the WIRED system, has installations in more than 200 industrial, 2,000 college and 500 high school programs. The system provides students a way to learn modern and transportable skills that can be utilized in a variety of enterprises. Amatrol’s interactive multimedia courseware includes skills in hydraulics, electrical control, robotics, design processes, machine tools and much more.