JACKSON — The notion of being able to shop on the Web at 11 p.m. at home in one's underwear is a notion that has taken hold in rural Mississippi and Alabama with roughly the same fervor as in New York City.
But will the rural public embrace the same concept when it comes to job training? Officials in the Mississippi Development Authority and its Alabama counterpart, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, believe that it will and, in so doing, put both states at the forefront of modern jobs training technology.
The two states joined forces in the West Alabama, East Mississippi Alliance (WAEM). Eight community and junior colleges in West Alabama and East Mississippi joined together with The Montgomery Institute to compete for a three-year, $15 million U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development or WIRED grant.
With the backing of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the region's application was accepted.
During an announcement ceremony on Monday, Barbour said called the WIRED system an “anytime, anywhere” job training technology.
“This region is building one of the most innovative, accessible, advanced manufacturing training systems in the United States,” said Barbour. “Gov. Riley and I jointly sought the WIRED grant to help make this area of West Alabama and East Mississippi a globally competitive region, creating an innovative, regional workforce education and training system to address key skill needs in the region.”
Alabama Southern Community College, Bevill State Community College, Shelton State Community College and Wallace Community College at Selma are the participating Alabama community colleges, while East Central Community College, East Mississippi Community College, Jones County Junior College, and Meridian Community College are the participating Mississippi community and junior colleges.
Using the WIRED system developed by the Amatrol Corp. of Jeffersonville, Ind., the two states will be able to utilize Internet technology to offer credit and non-credit career and technical training programs through the schools in skills such as electrical wiring, gear drive maintenance and drill press operation.
Almost 500 interactive manufacturing modules are currently available from the Amatrol WIRED system, which has installations in more than 200 industrial, 2,000 college and 500 high school programs. Amatrol's interactive course software includes training in hydraulics, electrical control, robotics, design processes and machine tools.
Officials say the WIRED system is designed to provide:
- Technical training at the WAEM colleges and allied high schools;
- On-site training for business and industry; and
- Individual skills training at home, at work, or anywhere there is broadband Internet access.
MDA's deputy director for strategic initiatives and former Montgomery Institute director Bill Crawford of Meridian is the WIRED grant director. Crawford's extensive knowledge of the region's economy and his experience as a former Meridian Community College administrator is seen as a plus for the success of the project.
Did it hurt Barbour to be able to make such an announcement in the stretch run of his re-election campaign? Certainly not.
But the groundwork for the project had been put in place well before the campaign and was part of an overall economic development strategy of cooperation and mutual support with Alabama between Riley and Barbour that has to date been extremely productive for both states.
