Workforce & Education

Mission

Enhance the development of our existing and future workforce through local and regional partnerships to provide a globally competitive business environment for the Decatur-Morgan County, Alabama area.

The workforce development committee and sub-committees work to help expand public and private workforce training efforts for the emerging, unemployed and underemployed workers in Morgan County. The focus of the committee is to provide a well-trained workforce to meet the needs of area businesses and industries.

Partners-in-Education

The Partners-In-Education program links area businesses and industries with schools in Decatur, Hartselle and Morgan County to provide educational opportunities for the students and increase the awareness of area businesses and industries. Partnerships also heighten awareness of present and future job needs, help improve the education of future employees and customers, and increases understanding of the quality and needs of public school systems, whose health is vital to the community's economic well being.

Workforce Coalition

The Morgan County Workforce Development Coalition is a partnership of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce and the Morgan County Economic Development Association. Our vision for Morgan County is to be the place where current employers thrive and new employers locate because of our skilled, highly competitive workforce.

Quality Education Committee

The Quality Education Committee consists of educators, concerned citizens and local business representatives. The committee focuses on the objectives of community involvement to increase student success, increasing quality and access to Pre-K education, provide high performance learning environments for K-12 and expanding local access to higher education and job training opportunities.

An output of the Quality Education Committee was the establishment of the "Starting Strong Pre-K" initiative -- a partnership between the Committee, Decatur-Morgan County's Minority Development Association, The United Way of Morgan County and the Community Action Partnership of North Alabama. The team advocates, applies for annual grants and fundraises to expand access to Pre-K for all children in Morgan County. The collaborative group has a goal of reaching 100 percent access to voluntary Pre-K. In 2015, the group received grants and raised money to add five and renew two Pre-K classrooms. With the addition of five classrooms in 2013-2014 academic year, five classrooms in the 2014-2015 year and five classrooms for the 2015-2016 year, approximately 260 young people have voluntary access to Pre-K programming due to the efforts of the initiative.

Skills for Success

The Chamber’s Quality Education Committee, in collaboration with Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, Decatur City Schools, Hartselle City Schools, Morgan County Schools and the Decatur Public Library, announce the launch of “Skills for Success” – a resource to ensure parents and teachers can have conversations about what is expected of children in grades K-8. As students transfer between the three school systems, these literature resources will help the community understand consistent expectations across Morgan County for each child in their respective grades.

The end product – available in English and Spanish – will also assist parents and community members in understanding expectations of the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards. The Skills for Success team was composed of teachers and administrators from across the three school systems working together to create the resources in laymen’s terms, ensuring parents and teachers can have clear conversations about academic benchmarks.

To download the Skills for Success K-2 booklet, click here.
To download the Skills for Success K-2 booklet in Spanish, click here.
To download the Skills for Success 3-5 booklet, click here.
To download the Skills for Success 3-5 booklet in Spanish, click here.
To download the Skills for Success 6-8 booklet, click here.
To download the Skills for Success 6-8 booklet in Spanish, click here.

SWeETy Camp

Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce and Calhoun Community College team up to present the Summer Welding & Electrical Technology Camp for 9th – 12th grade girls. This free camp provides hands-on experience in welding and electricity and help students develop problem solving skills and teamwork as they participate in instructor-led projects, field trips, and interact with women role models during industry sponsored lunches. We have also added a second camp to the lineup in partnership with local schools and business and industry partners.

How to get Involved

There are many opportunities for local businesses and business leaders to get involved in the education and workforce development programs that the Chamber sponsors. If you are interested in becoming involved in a program, contact the Chamber at (256) 353-5312.

Other workforce and education events hosted by the Chamber

State of the Schools Address - Decatur City Schools
State of the Schools Address - Morgan County Schools
New Teacher Breakfast - Morgan County Schools
New Teacher Breakfast - Decatur City Schools
Partners-In-Education Breakfast and Work Session
Career & Workforce Expo
Endless Opportunities