Governor Kay Ivey Announces “Success Plus” Initiative to Prepare State’s Workforce

MOBILE – Governor Kay Ivey on Monday announced a plan to grow Alabama’s skilled-labor pipeline by 500,000 workforce-ready employees by 2025. The Success Plus Initiative addresses Alabama’s increasing need for workers with certificates, credentials, or degrees in addition to a high school diploma.
By 2025, Alabama will need to add 500,000 high-skilled employees to the workforce in order to fill existing industry’s labor needs and compete for new businesses, according to a recent report produced by the Alabama Workforce Council’s Statewide Educational Attainment Committee.
“Companies are changing the way they do business, what goods and services they provide and they are constantly reevaluating the type of workforce they employ. With those changes, we are also seeing a shift in the skills needed to compete in today’s workforce,” Governor Ivey said. “In order to stay competitive in a global economy, Alabama must prepare our workforce to be ready for the jobs of tomorrow. We will be working with business and industry to ensure we have the training necessary to equip Alabamians with the skills needed for these high-tech, high-skill jobs.”
In addition to laying out a series of goals and measurements, Success Plus aims to improve access to educational opportunities; create pathways and defined routes that show people how to get where they want to be, in terms of a career; and encourage collaboration among private and public entities.
To identify the educational goals of Success Plus and strategies to achieve them, the Alabama Workforce Council created a committee of policy and industry leaders to engage stakeholders from across the state.
Jeff Lynn, vice chairman of the Alabama Community College System, chaired the Statewide Educational Attainment Committee that oversaw the creation of Success Plus. He stated that the goal is to help Alabamians better understand workforce opportunities, the skills of the future, and pathways for them to acquire those skills.
“Today’s economy is changing and evolving rapidly,” Lynn said. “More and more skill training, in addition to a high school degree, is essential to citizens looking to build a career, improve their lives and provide opportunities for their families.”
Also participating in Monday’s announcement was Zeke Smith, chairman of the Alabama Workforce Council, who said Success Plus will build on existing opportunities and is a natural extension of the state’s industry-led workforce portal, AlabamaWorks.
“We are already seeing these initiatives pay off and begin to make a difference,” Smith said. “Employers are finding qualified employees, and prospective employees are more easily finding jobs and training resources. Success Plus will take our efforts to the next level to ensure that our citizens are prepared to do the jobs that are in greatest demand.”
Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the Success Plus initiative will give prospective employers “yet another reason” to locate in Alabama.
You can visit the Success Plus website at https://alabamaworks.com/successplus/.
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