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Academy of Craft Training tells board it places graduates in construction jobs, aims to expand to Mobile and Huntsville
Summary
Presenters told the State Board of Education that the Academy of Craft Training trains students in five trades, serves 31 high schools across 15 districts, receives roughly 350 applications annually for 250 seats, and reports that all work-ready graduates who want jobs obtain employment; presenters said expansion plans include Brookley Field (Mob
Russ Cofield, director of the Academy of Craft Training, and industry partners described the program’s vocational training and placement results to the Alabama State Board of Education on April 14.
Cofield said the Academy, established in April 2016 and located on Sixth Avenue South in Birmingham, partners with the Alabama State Department of Education, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) and local commercial and industrial construction firms. He told the board the academy serves 31 high schools across 15 school districts, receives about 350 applications annually for 250 seats, and teaches five trades: building construction, HVAC, welding, electrical and interior/exterior finishes. The academy uses NCCER curriculum, issues industry-standard personal protective equipment, operates a simulated workplace environment with a strict cell-phone policy, and provides training at no cost to students or districts.
Mark McCord, representing local construction contractors, said students participate in internships during fall, Christmas and spring breaks and that as many as 90 students have worked in the industry at once during a single break period. Cofield said his program’s model is to make students ‘‘work ready’’; he stated that “100% of our students that are work ready that want a job get a job in our program.”
Todd Walker, with Associated Builders and Contractors, said the industry partnership is central to the program’s success and announced plans for geographic growth. Walker said the program will expand “this fall” to Brookley Field in the Mobile area and that there is a fall 2023 plan for Huntsville.
Students featured in a video and several spoken remarks described the program as offering direct pathways to employment and a career in the construction trades without required college enrollment.
Board members and staff thanked the presenters and invited them to join the work session for questions and answers following the meeting. Cofield and industry partners committed to continued collaboration with the State Department of Education and to recruiting for the next class.
