Alabama's work-force training gets top ranking

Alabama's work-force training program has been ranked again as the best in the nation, according to a poll of site-selection consultants conducted by Expansion Management magazine.

The report is in the magazine's August edition.

The program, Alabama Industrial Development Training, or AIDT, was ranked second last year and No. 1 in 2004. It's been ranked among the top 10 state training programs for the past eight years.

"Alabama has become a national leader in many areas, especially when it comes to our economy,'' Gov. Bob Riley said in a prepared statement. "This award is further proof of the successes we're having and the strides we've made. A high-quality work force is our state's No. 1 selling point when it comes to recruiting companies.''

AIDT, part of the state's two-year college system, provides comprehensive work-force recruiting and training for employers that commit to create jobs in Alabama. Since 1971, AIDT has customized training for more than 250,000 Alabamians seeking employment with more than 4,000 organizations.

"Nobody does it quite the way we do,'' said Phyllis Wesley, AIDT's public information officer. "Some states don't recruit, and some states don't train. AIDT does both recruiting and training.''

Wesley said when a company is going to create at least 10 jobs paying at least $8 per hour, AIDT assigns a project manager to work with the companies. "Our training is designed to meet the needs for both the employer and the employee.''

Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office, said one of the biggest incentives companies find in coming to Alabama is the quality of the state's work force and its development program.

"We frequently hear from CEOs and other business leaders that although it is easy to find a site, a trainable work force with a strong work ethic is harder to find," Wade said. "AIDT ensures that our industries have the best and the brightest."

Georgia, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina's training programs were ranked behind Alabama's.

Alabama's unemployment rate in June held steady at 3.6 percent, below the national average of 4.6 percent.

A national publisher of work-force training materials, Worldwide Interactive Network, recently named the Alabama Office of Workforce Development as the nation's top employee development agency.