TMCNet: Industrial training chief highlights state programs

[August 22, 2012]

Industrial training chief highlights state programs

Aug 22, 2012 (Opelika-Auburn News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The skills gap created by rapidly changing technology in the workplace is one of the greatest challenges facing employers both in Alabama and across the nation, the head of Alabama's industrial training program said Wednesday.


Speaking at the Opelika Chamber of Commerce's Business Over Breakfast event, Alabama Industrial Development Training Director Ed Castile outlined ways the state is helping to keep Alabama workers up to speed on the latest industrial advancements.

"The issues we have in front of us are technology is changing faster in the workplace than it is in your pocket on that phone you carry," Castile said.

AIDT provides workforce development training for the state's new and expanding businesses and helps employers screen potential workers for industrial jobs.

Castile highlighted facilities in Alabama providing technical training, including the Robotics Technology Park near Decatur. The approximately $73 million facility has two completed phases: the Robotic Maintenance Training Center and the Advanced Technology Research and Development Center.

"We have an extreme shortage of industrial maintenance techs across the state," Castile said. "This facility was built to get in front of that issue." A third phase, the Integration and Entrepreneurial Center, is also planned for the robotics park. Jacqueline Allen, an AIDT spokeswoman, said construction has not started on the third phase because funding is still being finalized.

Castile said the robotics park is one of the state's premier industrial incentives, where companies can send workers for free training rather than having to send their employees to a place like Sweden.

Castile also noted other facilities such as the Maritime Training Center in Mobile and the Montgomery-based EMPACT Alabama, which trains workers for film and television production -- an area the state has targeted for growth.

With the recent announcement that European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will bring its first U.S.-based production facility to Mobile, Castile said aerospace/aviation will be a key area for industrial training in the future.

Castile also praised Southern Union State Community College's workforce development and technical training programs, saying they were among the finest in the state.

"It's the kind of thing we're going to have to do in the state if we're going to achieve the things we have to achieve with the workforce," he said.

ON THE WEB: " Alabama Industrial Development Training: www.aidt.edu " Robotics Technology Park: www.alabamartp.org " Maritime Training Center: www.maritime.aidt.edu " EMPACT Alabama: www.empactalabama.org ___ (c)2012 the Opelika-Auburn News (Opelika, Ala.) Visit the Opelika-Auburn News (Opelika, Ala.) at www.oanow.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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