Workforce

Labor Availability

Population: 384,000 persons live within a 30-mile, labor-drawing radius of Gadsden's airport.

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Wages & Benefits

Find out what the average hourly wage rates in Etowah County as of September 2017 are.

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Labor Market

Gadsden MSA (Etowah County) Employment and Unemployment Statistics.

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Education

Overview

In a formal Workforce Development Partnership, Gadsden’s educators, elected officials and business leaders have together created an educational and training structure that works seamlessly to provide you with educated, skilled, technically sophisticated employees, both initially and over the long term.

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Primary & Secondary Education

Gadsden State is a two-year postsecondary educational institution with more than 5,000 students. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate Degrees in Science, Arts and Applied Science. Most academic division graduates transfer to Jacksonville State University and to Auburn University. GPA reports indicate that they do as well as, or better than, native university students at both campuses.

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Training

Alabama Industrial Development Training Institute

AIDT provides a comprehensive recruiting and training program for new and expanding industries. It is intended to support the creation of new jobs, not for turnover or for the retention of existing jobs. Also, it is designed to train groups of at least ten in number, for jobs that pay at least $13.00 per hour.

Alabama Technology Center Gadsden

The campus of Gadsden State Community College houses the Alabama Technology Network's center in Gadsden. Through a cooperative network of business, education, and government, the Center is the primary source for high quality technical assistance and training for local industries.

Gadsden State Community College

Examples of credit and non-credit programs in the college’s Adult Education and Skills Training Division include: Blueprint; Reading; CNC machining; Computer Aided Drafting;

Apprenticeship Programs

Gadsden State Community College and the Alabama Technology Network's center in Gadsden, in partnership with local industries, conduct apprenticeship programs for mold makers, machinists and tool & die makers. The apprenticeship programs are patterned after European models and are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.

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High School Career Technical Training

Beginning in 2015, all high school seniors will take the ACT WorkKeys application test, an assessment system that helps employers select, hire, develop and retain a high-performance workforce.

Successful completion results in Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze-level credentials, and can lead to earning ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate. Other credentialing programs include MOS, OSHA 10, ASE, NCCER, CPR and ServSafe.

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