The Alabama Talent Development Capstone Course, a program developed by the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation and AlabamaWorks, recently completed its second phase of training between May 7 and June 11, 2021. Now, Alabama’s workforce system has taken the next step in Ivey’s “no-wrong-door approach” to education and training.
Ivey is committed to developing a human-centered public workforce system that is predicated on a no-wrong-door approach to workforce and human services. This approach means citizens can access the full variety of state and federally funded workforce development programs regardless of which agency they go to for help, from the Alabama Department of Human Resources to community colleges and community-based organizations.
The Alabama Talent Development Capstone Course provides a survey-level understanding of Alabama’s Talent Development Strategic plan for public workforce system staff and fosters the collaboration needed for Alabama’s no-wrong-door approach to the public workforce system.
Since completion of the, 138 members of Alabama’s public workforce system staff have completed the second module and have a deeper understanding of Alabama’s integrated service delivery model. They enhanced their Alabama Talent Development Certification and learned of many resources available to Alabamians such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, WIOA Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker programs, and others.
The course included presentations by several guest lecturers:
- Kevin Kidd of The Alabama Career Center System
- Jane Elizabeth Burdeshaw with Vocational and Rehabilitative Services
- Faye Nelson with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- David Walters with Adult Education, Prior Learning Assessment, and Financial Aid
- Tammy Wilkinson with The WIOA Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker Programs
- Jessica Dent with Supportive Services and Resources Provided by Community-Based Organizations
The Alabama Talent Development Capstone Course’s third module will begin in October 2021 and participants will continue to build on what they have learned and dive deeper into the content, ultimately breaking down the silos between the state agencies. Ivey feels that this collaborative approach is imperative to moving forward her Success Plus Plan and the Alabama Talent Development Capstone Coursewill help us reach that goal.
After completion of Module III, those who successfully pass the assessment will be permitted to co-enroll Alabamians in the associated programs at one location to the extent permissible under law. When the first iteration of this course concludes in October, all three modules will be filmed, and future employees of Alabama’s public workforce system will be able to complete the modules asynchronously online.
Module II participants, including representatives from the Alabama Career Centers, Regional Workforce Councils, Dept of Human Resources, Alabama Community College System, Dept of Commerce, Alabama Industrial Development Training, Alabama Office of Apprenticeship, and Alabama State Department of Education were assessed at the conclusion of the training on their mastery of key concepts and competencies in the module and approximately 92 percent were awarded the additional Alabama Talent Developer Certification Module II credential.
