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Al Moore was recently named dean of workforce solutions and economic development at Bevill State Community College. Moore spoke Monday to members of the Kiwanis Club of Jasper about the impact the college is having on workforce development in the area.
Moore has been at Bevill State for nearly seven years, and he has served in several administrative roles, including dean of the Sumiton campus and dean of career technical education.
“I’m very passionate about career tech and workforce,” Moore said. “We have grown a lot over the time that I have been at Bevill State. It has been a great experience working with workforce development. The focus on workforce is a priority at our college. My new role as dean of workforce solutions and economic development is helping us a great deal.”
Moore said BSCC now has a college-wide workforce council. He said the work of that council will help to identify and secure more funding sources for the workforce areas of the college.
“What we do in workforce is critical. All adult education falls under my area,” he said.
More than 10,000 people were trained in more than 800 non-credit courses by Bevill State in the past fiscal year.
“We have become a clear leader in providing non-credit training, especially as it relates to supporting the needs of business and industry in our area,” Moore said. “The vast majority of workforce training emanated right here in Walker County from the Jasper campus and Sumiton campus. That is a big deal. I would dare to say there are very few colleges in Alabama that would generate that many credit hours.”
Revenue in workforce grew in the last fiscal year to $1.4 million on the non-credit side for BSCC. That is up nearly $400,000 from the previous year, Moore said.
“That is huge, because there aren’t many colleges generating that type of revenue on the workforce side,” he added. “We are very proud of that. I believe we have a tremendous opportunity at Bevill State to continue to grow.”
Moore talked about partnerships BSCC has with Alabama Power Company, saying that has been a spark for continued growth at the college.
“Working with Alabama Power has been a great thing for our college, having the training area in Sumiton and the new HVAC training center in Jasper,” Moore said.
Welding is in such demand that Moore said that program is being relocated from Sumiton to a larger site in Jasper at the incubator facility on Industrial Boulevard.
“We were running out of space in Sumiton,” he said. “In the new facility, we are increasing our weld booths by 10, and we will also be able to continue to offer a night course as well.”
Moore said he is thankful for the support of area legislators.
“There is a lot of funding that we have been able to get for workforce thanks to the hard work and support of our legislative delegation here in Walker County,” he said. “Sen. (Greg) Reed, Rep. Connie Rowe and Rep. Tim Wadsworth have supported us greatly.”
Before coming to Bevill State, Moore worked as an educator and a business professional with a combined more than 20 years with Jefferson County Schools, Jefferson State Community College, Alabama Public Television and Alabama Power. Moore is currently involved with Regional Work Councils in regions 1,3 and 4. He is also active in the East Walker Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama.
“I have enjoyed my time at Bevill State, and I am excited to see what the future holds for Bevill State and how we can help our communities for many years to come,” Moore said.