A college training center on the same campus as an automotive manufacturer is helping bridge the divide between classroom education and getting a real job.

Wallace State Community College’s Workforce Training Center opened in November on the grounds of REHAU in Cullman. The center provides an area for training programs and services offered by the college’s Center for Career and Workforce Development. It also serves as a hub for short-term programs in liberal arts, health sciences, applied technology and other fields.

At the new center, students earn credentials they can use to get jobs, advance in their current positions or transition into an academic-credit program for further studies at Wallace State.

The theme is “workforce ready, because as one of Alabama’s most ambitious community colleges, that is our mission,” said Wallace State President Vicki Karolewics, Ph.D., “to assure that our region’s workforce is ready for the high-demand, high-wage jobs that are so plentiful here.”

Classes offered at the new training center include CPR certification, phlebotomy technician, forklift and OSHA 10 certification. The college also offers training in operating asphalt rollers, bulldozers and excavators, hotel operations and land surveying, as well as commercial driver’s license certification.

CPR certification, phlebotomy technician, forklift and OSHA 10 certification are some of the classes offered at the new facility. (Wallace State Community College)

Ralph Gutiérrez of Inland Buildings in Cullman said the company has been collaborating with Wallace State for employee forklift training. “They have an outstanding facility, and their material is taught in a way that’s easy to understand,” Gutiérrez said.

In a designated lab area at the new training center, students can complete online studies for the Skills for Success program. Developed in 2022 by the Alabama Community College System’s Innovation Center, the Skills for Success program provides rapid training for technical jobs across the state. Part of the Skills for Success training is offered online, with interactive learning that is self-paced. Following online coursework students complete hands-on training with qualified instructors.

Bethany Campbell, director of Employer Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at Wallace State, said the Workforce Training Center offers multiple avenues for aspiring professionals and current employees to enhance their skill sets.

“It is so exciting to have a dedicated space in a convenient location to provide short-term training for individuals looking to enter the workforce or to upskill employees for local companies,” Campbell said.

Local businesses can use space at the new center to train their own employees, too.

Pro Skills is another program that gets Alabamians workforce ready. (Wallace State Community College)

Wallace State offers a variety of practical study programs designed as a path to specific careers. Pro Skills classes vary in price depending on what is being instructed and the length of the class, Campbell said. Pro Skills is the “brand” for short-term workforce training designed to upskill current employees or prepare individuals quickly for skilled entry-level jobs, she said. Scholarships are available for some programs through Paths for Success and the Alabama Community College System.

Skills for Success is a statewide program in conjunction with the Innovation Center and the Alabama Community College system. All those courses are free.

Shane Sneed of Hanceville completed bulldozer and skid steer training at Wallace State and is enrolled in the engineering technology program, hoping to own his own construction company one day.

The two eight-hour classes he took “definitely” helped him get a job with Cullman Parks and Recreation Department, he said.

“The instructors for skid steer and bulldozer, those guys were amazing,” Sneed said.

Wallace State Community College offers more than 200 options in academic, health and technical programs of study. The main campus is on 300 acres in Hanceville in Cullman County, with a satellite location in Oneonta.

This story was previously published by This is Alabama. Want to read more good news about Alabama? Sign up for the This is Alabama newsletter here.