Bradley Byrne

The Tennessee Valley Initiative will serve a 13-county region for north Alabama workforce requirements associated with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations and continued economic development growth.

The regional effort includes $350,000 for state for recruitment (both inside and outside the state) and workforce training and $500,000 for 18 career counselors/coaches to help guide high school students to careers in the region that will be in demand.

Byrne said that a major challenge the initiative will address is the 120,000 people labeled as “under-employed” in north Alabama—those who could serve high-demand jobs but need to update their skills, become certified in a particular area or earn just an associate’s degree to qualify for new jobs.

New degrees in logistics and government procurement are also needs that the initiative will help make. Athens State University plans to have an online program established soon upon state approval.

“This is important not just for Huntsville and Madison County, but for the entire state to make sure that the workforce is ready,” Byrne said.

Dr. Humphrey Lee, president of Northwest-Shoals Community College, will be the chairman of the initiative and former state Rep. Neal Morrison, a past president of Bevill State Community College, will handle day-to-day responsibilities.

Irma Tuder, chair of the board of directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County thanked Byrne for his commitment to north Alabama’s workforce needs and also stated the importance of this initiative.

“As we all know, an educated and highly skilled workforce is necessary to meet our current and future economic development growth needs. This is true not only in regards to the number of new jobs the 2005 BRAC decision is bringing to Redstone Arsenal and its contracting community, but also the other diverse companies and industries that continue to look at north Alabama as the ideal location to expand into in order to thrive and prosper,” Tuder said. “It is imperative that we are ready for this opportunity. Failure is not an option.”