Celebrating 60 years of education excellence
Story by Roxann Edsall
Submitted Photos
For the past six decades, Jefferson State Community College has been guided by a single principle – opportunity. Since it’s opening in 1965, it may look different – much bigger, in fact, but it hasn’t wavered in providing opportunities.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this past fall, Jefferson State now has its highest enrollment ever – 10,400 and eclipsing its old record set in 2010 by 800 students. The Pell City-St. Clair Campus experienced enrollment gains as well.
Whether it’s opportunities for students to learn and find gainful employment or those doing the hiring having an opportunity to hire workers with the skills they need, its workforce development program has been making a sizable impact in both sectors.
Keeping pace with the needs of today’s industries, Jefferson State has unveiled a new milestone in its mission. The college opened a new Workforce Education Center building on the Jefferson Campus, which serves the entire system.
Housing industrial and craft skills training courses, it includes their existing line worker program and new electrical, HVAC and multi-craft maintenance technician programs. The 7,500 square-foot building features flexible classroom spaces and laboratories that can be adapted to a variety of needs within the college’s short certificate Fast Track program.
The Fast Track program is a credentials program offering 35 options within their portfolio of skills training, specifically focused on developing skills needed for high-demand entry level career opportunities. “The new building really represents opportunity for our community,” says Leah Bigbee, dean of Workforce Education for JSCC. “We’ve been strategically focused on industrial and craft skills training because business and industry have been asking for these programs.”
Bigbee says the Workforce Development Program relies on relationships with local businesses and industry to share their needs and help develop and refine the curriculum in each specialty. “Across the board, our programs are developed with actual jobs in mind – from developing the curriculum to having seasoned veterans teaching classes to mock interviews to actual job interview days,” said Bigbee.
“Our programs are really co-created with industry, which is especially helpful in teaching the specific, current skills needed by area businesses,” said Bigbee. “We have the ability to adapt and be flexible to meet those needs. Really, our north star is those companies who give us continuous feedback.”
Guin Robinson, Jefferson State’s dean of Economic Development, has a unique perspective and understanding of the workforce needs of area businesses, having served as mayor of Pell City for five years and at Avondale Mills in Pell City as manager of Human Resources.
“When I was mayor, it was all about community and connecting industry and business and recruiting through the Economic Development Council. It’s what I’ve always done and love doing, connecting community to, in this case, the college.”
Jefferson State offers 116 transfer programs, 40 career and technical programs, and 35 non-credit, credentialed workforce education programs. They also offer online courses and 100 dual-enrollment course options.
“The credit classes that transfer to four-year institutions is still a lot of what we do,” Robinson says. “But not everyone has to have a four-year degree. As we came out of the COVID experience, that helped to highlight and better articulate what training and workforce needs we had. Our Fast Track program is playing a vital role in developing and training that workforce. Our new building, being the first completely new building on campus in years, speaks to the significance of the program.”
The short-term Fast Track programs include electrical, HVAC, lineworker, forklift operator, commercial driver (CDL), welding and a host of business and healthcare options. These credential programs help meet the needs of fresh high-school graduates beginning their careers, as well as those reentering the workforce or wanting to change career paths.
“We serve almost three thousand students in the Workforce Department,” says Bigbee. “Our data shows us that 80 percent complete the program and go on to find employment. Companies depend on us to create these customized training programs that really do give someone a leg up and give them a better chance to make it in an entry-level role and be retained, as opposed to someone who is just hired off the street.”
“At the end of the day,” adds Robinson, “it’s about providing economic opportunity for our students and marrying that with the needs of business and industry. It’s very rewarding.”
Some of the Jefferson State workforce development partner companies in St. Clair County include Goodgame Company, Ford Meter Box, Hubble Power and Gorbel. Jefferson State welcomes inquiries from other companies who might want to partner with their workforce development programs.
Several Fast-Track programs are offered at the Jefferson State St. Clair-Pell City Campus each year, including a clinical medical assistant class funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
In the spring, additional fast-track offerings such as welding, field engineering, and clinical medical assistant will be available.
Editor’s note: For more information, go to jeffersonstate.edu/fasttrack.
