Source:  ACCS News Clips, November 19, 2009

The board agreed to pay Hill an annual salary of $289,900, provide her a state car, and pay for moving expenses, a housing allowance, and other customary expenses.

A three‐member committee comprising board members David Byers, Mary Jane Caylor and Betty Peters negotiated the contract and reviewed compensation of similar executive positions. Byers said compensation for top community college and technical college system leaders in the Southeast ranges from about $150,000 to $600,000, with the median around $260,000. In Alabama, Byers added, the chancellor must oversee both academic and technical colleges, calling for increased responsibilities that were taken into account in setting the chancellor’s salary.

Hill was chosen unanimously October 30 by the nine‐member State Board of Education to lead the Alabama Community College System. She will be the first woman to serve as a permanent chancellor of the system.

Currently serving as the deputy commissioner for the Technical College System of Georgia, Hill previously served as assistant commissioner for that system. She has spent most of her career in community and technical colleges, including five years as a president, and six years as a vice president of economic development.

A native of Tennessee, where she taught one year of high school, Hill has called Georgia home for most of her career.  She holds an associate degree from Hiwassee Junior College in Tennessee, a bachelor of arts in English from Samford University in Alabama, and a master of science in Marketing Education and a doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Georgia.

Interim Chancellor Joan Davis said that Hill expects to be visiting the area frequently in November in order to learn more about the system, personnel and pressing issues in advance of her December 1 arrival.

Source:  ACCS News Release – November 12, 2009

http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2009/11/post_11.html

Source:  ACCS News Clips, November 10

The Alabama Development Office reports Kia is responsible for more than 3,600 new jobs at automotive supplier plants located in Alabama.   Those workers are employed at 34 different plants in Alabama, including 12 new suppliers that located in the state since Kia announced its decision in March 2006.

Twenty-five of those 34 plants supply both Alabama’s Hyundai plant and the Kia plant in Georgia.

Source:  Governor’s Press Office 11/05/09

Education and requirements for welders include having a one-year certificate from a college or technical school; or three to six months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.  A high school diploma or GED is preferred for both Welders and Fitters.  Requirements for fitters include up to six months related experience or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Candidates must also possess good math skills.  There will be a background check (no felonies) and a pre-employment drug screen also required for both positions.

Desired workplace traits for these positions include those that are dedicated to their team’s success, will maintain a positive work relationship with fellow employees, who are at work every day, are available for overtime as needed, display their best effort every day, follow all safety work rules and procedures, who work well independently or collaboratively and maintain respect in the workplace.

There are physical demands that must be met to successfully perform the essential job functions of these jobs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  While performing the duties of these jobs, the employee is regularly required to stand; have good dexterity; and reach with hands and arms; walk, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and have the ability to lift 25-50 pounds.

Applicants can obtain an AIDT pre-employment application at www.aidt.edu/jobs and submit it in person at the following location:  Alabama Career Center, 216 North 5th Street, Gadsden, AL 35901.  Applications are also available at the Alabama Career Center.

There’s a new opportunity in Opelika.  Michelin Development opened an office in East Alabama Tuesday morning and said that it would begin taking applications for $2 million in low-interest loans to qualified start-up, small- and medium-sized companies in the area.

Michelin and Auburn Bank will partner in the program.  The program is aimed at stimulating economic growth and creating jobs. Focus will be to help offset job losses from the BFGoodrich Plant closing.

The State Board of Education picked a Georgia educator Friday to become chancellor of Alabama’s two-year college system and help lead it back from a financial scandal that brought down a former chancellor.

Freida Hill, deputy commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia, was unanimously chosen by the nine-member board. Women have served as interim chancellors in the past but Hill is the first female to hold the position on a permanent basis.

The board’s chairman, Gov. Bob Riley, said he talked to Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue before deciding to support Hill.

“I’m not too sure I’ve ever heard someone as highly recommended,” Riley said.

http://www.thesunnews.com/564/story/1142711.html

http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11417266

Source:  ACCS News Release

Edwin Eichler, a ThyssenKrupp executive, thanked Governor Riley for the center and pledged to fulfill their plans regardless of the world economy.  Alet Heine, widow of Erich Heine, spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony.  She told those in attendance, “Training and self-development for Erich was extremely important.”

The training center will be operated by AIDT.

Groundbreaking for the plant was held in September, 2007. Building construction is nearing completion while equipment is still being installed. Much of the equipment is state-of-the-art with an emphasis on robotic-assisted welding processes. Railcars are currently being built on the first of four eventual production lines as part of a de-bugging effort with the new equipment and for training purposes for the approximately 100 people currently employed. The first completed car should be produced by the end of August.

AIDT has partnered with Northwest Shoals Community College to provide both pre-employment and post-employment training for the plant’s workforce. Pre-employment is being conducted on campus within a building devoted to NAC training. The program is thirty-two hours in length, with half being classroom instruction and half being workstation exercises. Classroom instruction includes safety, math, precision measurement, blueprint reading, and quality. NAC representatives contributed significantly to the program after observing the pre-employment process at Honda in Lincoln. Amy Jones, HR Manager for NAC, said, “We are sincerely thankful for the outstanding work of our AIDT and NWSCC partners; without the excellent programs and support of our AIDT team, this project would be extremely difficult at best. We feel that this partnership will continue to provide NAC with the best, most qualified team members possible.”

In fact, while some of the workstations were developed or modified specifically for the NAC processes, some were copied from the Lincoln program. The team tables, which are also used by ThyssenKrupp, are a prime example of transferring a successful concept from one project to another. Nine workstations that are manned by thirteen trainees make up one training line. The training building along with an AIDT MTU has a total of four training lines available for use.

Interest in the program has been very high with over 10,000 applications received since the start. Applications are only taken online and this was one of the first, if not the first, programs to use this approach. The efforts by members of the AIDT IT group, both past and present, were critical to the success of this approach.

Almost 2,000 citizens have been invited to an orientation where they learn more about the company and the pre-employment process. Approximately 450 people have completed the training program. Under the direction of NAC, one class per month continues to be conducted in anticipation of a significant increase in hiring next year.

Post-employment training in welding has been spearheaded by Northwest Shoals. AIDT has provided training in Leadership Skills I & II, the 30-hour OSHA training course, forklift, and crane training for NAC employees.

Of course the recession has delayed not only the completion of the building, but hiring as well. Previous plans had called for 500 to be employed by September, 2009. Additional employees were to be hired as the other production lines became operational and the workforce expanded to two shifts. The recovery of the economy, in general, and railcar orders, specifically, will continue to dictate the pace of the manufacturing and all support efforts such as pre-employment.