Getting back to work From staff reports The Weekly Post Published August 13, 2009 For those who are in the job market, there's a new place to start your search. Friday, a brand-new State of Alabama Career Center opened on the campus of Northeast Alabama Community College. "This is a result of so many people being unemployed in this area," said Marsha Amos, one of two team managers for DeKalb and Jackson Counties. "This area has been so hard hit with job losses that the Governor's office decided to place (the Career Center) here. It also makes it very accessible to people on the campus." While the national unemployment rate has dropped to 9.4 percent and the state is at 10.1 percent, this area's rate is more than 12 percent, according to state officials. The Career Centers in Fort Payne and Scottsboro will remain open. The new center will have three employees — Jonathan Nappier, Jeff Helton, and Kevin Kidd. Those three, with help from college employees, have remodeled the entire front portion of the old Emergency Medical Technician training building. Prior to Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, the public was invited to an R3 (Re-tool, Re-train, Re-employ) Expo in the Tom Bevill Lyceum. There, officials from the Governor's Workforce Development, the Department of Industrial Relations, and the Alabama Community College System, gave presentations on what they think is coming to Northeast Alabama in the future. "The type of jobs this area has known in the past (and have gone overseas) aren't likely to ever return," said Dr. David Campbell, President of NACC. "But the state is working diligently on new careers and possibilities." Campbell noted that a Volkswagen plant is being built near Chattanooga, Tenn. That should result in suppliers locating facilities along I-59. There is also news that the Bellefonte nuclear facility at Hollywood may be reopened soon. That news was delivered with the caveat that jobs in the new market will require more education — and NACC is one of the places to learn the desired skills. "We're not here to help you make a living, but to help you make a better living," said Joan Davis, interim chancellor of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education. "We're not here to let you live life, but to help you have the best life you can have." According to state officials, team assemblers, electrical and electronic repair, welders, and heavy equipment mechanics are expected to be in high demand, as are nurses, teachers, pharmacy technicians, and other medical professions. Share | Save | Mail | Print | Comment