By Hamilton Richardson
Elmore/Autauga News
Top Photo: Sarah Mills and Gindi Prutzman
The true power of unity proved itself during a recent regional hiring event in Prattville, where four local chambers of commerce– Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and Chilton County– in partnership with Central AlabamaWorks, brought many local employers together at Hunter Hills church. The event was to help the area’s residents who have been unemployed, get back to work as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
With the four chambers working closely with Central AlabamaWorks, the event was a success but as Sarah Mills, Regional Workforce Council Liaison for the organization, described, it’s not the first time this has happened.
“This past year we have continued developing relationships with chambers of commerce throughout Autauga and Elmore counties,” she said. “We have co-sponsored three job fairs in the last six months, and we will be hosting more in April and May targeting high school seniors who are preparing to enter the workforce immediately after graduation. Working with our chamber partners, we are not only able to connect businesses to job seekers, but also to resources available to train and upskill their existing employees.”
Mills added that over the past year alone, the organization has helped connect over $500,000 in state and federal grant funding to businesses in Autauga and Elmore counties to help upskill their employees.
“We hope to see that number grow to well over a million dollars by the end of this year with the help of Central Alabama Community College’s new Prattville location,” she commented.
Mills’ history with workforce development in the area as well as her personal history, has helped her to see the true value of what her organization is doing.
“My dad, Lewis Mills, has worked for Mr. Puckett for over 30 years,” she explained. “I began my career with the Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division in 2017 and worked primarily with West AlabamaWorks until 2019 when I transitioned into the role as Liaison for Central AlabamaWorks. As I saw the ways businesses were connecting with educators, students, and workforce partners to build a pipeline and utilizing state and federal funding to help train them – it really set a fire in me to want to see this happen at home. I kept telling my dad about things that were happening over there and really wanting to make those connections for him. So, when the opportunity came to work with Gindi and Central AlabamaWorks, just one year into her tenure as Executive Director, I wanted to be a part of that.”
Another important way that Central AlabamaWorks has been impacting Autauga and Elmore Counties is through working to increase the labor force participation and engagement through the Educator Workforce Academy (EWA), and helping local businesses create a FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) Chapter.
“Educators in both Autauga and Elmore counties have participated in our Educator Workforce Academy which connects high level educators such as Superintendents and CTE Directors directly to business,” Mills said. “Through four intensive meeting days, educators are exposed to a variety of workforce resources and challenged to align their educational programs with local and regional industry demand. James Hardie is just one example of a local company that participated in EWA and was able to engage with several regional educators who could then connect their students to the available career opportunities.”
Also, a program called Career Discovery, which is an 8th grade career exploration event, is a plan that has brought thousands of students to local community colleges to experience hands-on the work local businesses do.
“During Covid,” explained the liaison, “this was converted to a virtual platform that incorporated company tours and success stories from young adults who had followed career pathways through career tech into the workforce. One of those stories highlighted was an individual who entered an apprenticeship with Larry Puckett Chevrolet while attending classes at Trenholm.”
Gindi Prutzman, who has served as Executive Director since January of 2019, and was previously President of the Dothan Education Foundation, said that in her role, she wants to help students with direction after high school.
“Students often graduate from high school not knowing what they want to do,” she said. “There are so many different options today that it is overwhelming. Our work with career exploration, specifically Career Discovery, allows students to not only see the possibilities, but to have a plan of action and pathway to achieve their goals. If we can help individuals turn their dreams and aspirations into a plan of action, then we have done our job.”
Central AlabamaWorks has been doing this kind of work for approximately seven years, according to Prutzman.
“The seven Alabama Regional Workforce Councils were formally established in 2015 by the Alabama State Legislature as a key part of a comprehensive state workforce development plan,” said Prutzman. “Central AlabamaWorks carries out the mission of the Region 5 Regional Workforce Council by facilitating implementation of workforce development programs and services that support economic and job development in the 13 counties that make up Region 5 (Autauga, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Perry, Russell, Tallapoosa).”
A major priority for the organization is workforce development, said the Executive Director.
Workforce development is centered on how to efficently train workers for relevant and in-demand jobs,” she said. “Central AlabamaWorks allows stakeholders, which often includes business, education, and government agencies, to work together to determine how to increase the pool of qualified workers. Central AlabamaWorks does not have a product, but instead we act as a connector and convenor of people and resources.
Another important benefit that the Region 5 Council promotes is targeting efforts to populations not currently in the labor force such as veterans, people with disabilities, and individuals with limited education.
For more information about Central AlabamaWorks, go online to www.alabamaworks.com/central.
