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On Friday, March 24, eight students, including one high school student, completed the first skid steer training course offered at ESCC.

“We’re proud to offer this training to our community,” ESCC Director of Workforce Development Leigh Shiver said, thanking Thompson Tractor Company, the City of Enterprise and Wiregrass Economic Development Corporation for their partnership in providing training space and equipment for the class. “This training has helped these students develop the skills they need to be successful in their current job or in finding a great job.”

This free training was developed through the Alabama Community College System’s Skills for Success program. Students completed online work before receiving hands-on training March 23-24.

Skills for Success is ACCS’s rapid workforce training program that launched in early 2022. It was developed in partnership with the state’s businesses and industries so the training is aligned with the skills employers say workers need to fill available jobs.

The appeal to trainees – other than getting the skills needed for an in-demand job – is that Skills for Success training is offered at no cost thanks to appropriations from the Legislature and can usually be completed in two to three weeks.

A reason Skills for Success training can be completed so quickly is part of it is offered online, with self-paced interactive learning that can take place anywhere a student can connect to the Internet. Upon completing the online portion of the course, students then complete hands-on training with qualified instructors and earn an ACCS credential that shows employers they are job ready.

Instructor Tim Williams said these trainings are extremely beneficial to participants, “either to do the career they’re already in or to start a new career.” He also said there was a demand for trained skid steer drivers, so much so that employers are asking to hire students before they finish the course.

“Every time we’ve had a class, they’ve been filled, and there are people that will actually see us when we go out somewhere and try to interview our students while we’re on break,” he said.

High school student Preston Powell took part in ESCC’s training, where he learned how to operate and maneuver skid steers safely, among other skills. He said he was “excited” to see the free training being offered.

“As soon as I saw it, I jumped on it and applied for it,” he said. “As soon as I got the email to do the online portion, I finished that in a couple of hours.

“I hope to use this after I graduate high school. If someone needs to run a skid steer or heavy equipment, I’ve got the certificate and the knowledge how to do it and do it safely.”

Student Charles Newman is interested in working in the construction industry. He said completing training like the Skid Steer class shows initiative to employers.

“This training will help me achieve a certificate,” he said. “That way, whenever I go to employers to actually apply for jobs in the construction industry, I’ll actually have the certification to back it up.

“I would highly encourage people to take part in any free class like this, especially if it’s going to get you a certificate and it’s a job field that you’re interested in.”

More than 2,700 Alabamians have registered for Skills for Success training for jobs in industries ranging from construction and fiber optics to trucking and food and beverage services. To find out more information and view a list of available training courses, visit innovation.accs.edu.

ESCC will hold a second skid steer training class April 6-7. If you are interested in joining the next class, visit escc.edu/skidsteer.

By Michelle Mann
Dothan Eagle

https://dothaneagle.com/community/escc-adult-ed-teams-with-johns-chapel-ame-to-host-ged/article_df1e846c-cd59-11ed-bfbd-777eb49c14ea.html

Members of Enterprise State Community College’s Fine Arts Department and the community will present “The Wiz” as this year’s spring musical.

Tickets sales are open for community members and ESCC students. Tickets can be purchased at auctria.events/THEWIZ or through the ESCC Business Office. General Admission tickets are $15, and student tickets are $5. Students must purchase their tickets through the Business Office and be able to show their Student ID.

Performances of “The Wiz” will be April 13-15 in the Student Center MPR. Each performance will begin at 7 p.m.

“The Wiz” follows Dorothy as she miraculously travels to Oz, where she learns about the Wiz and meets her team of friends, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. This play is a retelling of the classic L. Frank Baum story “The Wizard of Oz” through an African American perspective.

Alabama Aviation College student Aaron Phillips has been chosen to receive the 2023 James Rardon Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Student of the Year Award.

This prestigious award, presented by the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) in collaboration with JSfirm.com and the Northrop Rice Foundation, “recognizes the outstanding achievement of an Aviation Maintenance Technician student. The achievement must be demonstrated through academics as well as through involvement that makes a direct impact on the students associates, school and/or community,” according to ATEC’s website.

Phillips was nominated for the award by AAC Campus Director Stan Smith. Nominees for the award must be full-time AMT students at an ATEC member school. AAC is one of 120 Aviation Maintenance colleges that are members of the organization. The award winner is chosen by a selection committee based on a set criterion that includes leadership/motivation, academics, school/community and recommendations from others.

“As the director, I had heard instructors talking about what a great student Aaron Phillips was, his high comprehensive exam test scores and the extra things he does on campus to include repairing college equipment and tutoring other students for free,” Smith said, noting that Phillips received a 98 and 100 on the Airframe Comp, the highest in the College’s record books. “Based on those conversations and the interaction I had with Aaron, I decided to nominate him for the Aviation Technical Education Council (ATEC) Student of the Year Award.”

Nominators are required to include two additional letters of recommendation for the nominee. Smith said he received five additional letters when he requested them from AAC faculty and staff.

“The magnitude of this award cannot be overstated since 120 aviation maintenance colleges are members of ATEC,” Smith said. “Not only is Aaron Phillips our best student, but he was selected as the best in the nation.

“As reassurance that we made the right choice, when I called Aaron to let him know he won the award, he was tutoring students at that time.”

ESCC President Danny Long noted Phillips’ hard work and his connection with his peers.

“It is great to see Aaron being recognized for not only his work in this program but also the support he provides to his fellow students,” Long said. “He’s truly deserving of this award, and we’re proud to have him represent the Alabama Aviation College at the national level.”

Phillips said he was honored to be nominated for the award and for the chance to represent the College.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank Mr. Stan Smith and everyone who vouched on my behalf for presenting me for nomination for such a prestigious award and having confidence in me for being worthy of selection,” he said. “I’m proud to have the opportunity to represent a great institution such as the Alabama Aviation College, and I’m humbled by the respect for my efforts everyone has shown me on this journey.”

He thanked instructor Patrick Williams for his encouragement and mentorship during his time in the program. He also especially thanked fellow students, Blake James and Callie Sparks, for their help and support, stating that “study sessions with the two of them is what inspired me to start helping others.”

Phillips said a family member who works as an aviation mechanic inspired him to join the aviation maintenance program, also known as the Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) program. He is expected to complete the program this May. After completing the program, he said plans to take his training into the aviation maintenance career field. He said he also hopes to continue to give back in some way “by inspiring in as many others the dedication towards success [the program] has instilled in me.”

Phillips will be formally recognized during the ATEC’s annual conference in Chicago at the end of March.

George Scott has been named the new head coach for Enterprise State Community College’s women’s basketball team.

“Right now is a good time to make the change to George as the head coach of the women’s team, especially with the team changing conferences,” ESCC Athletic Director Jeremaine Williams said. “With him being here at ESCC, it will be good for the girls to have someone working with them full-time. I know him from his time coaching at Kinston and Enterprise High School, and he’s going to do a good job as the new coach.”

Scott, a speech instructor at the College since 2000, previously held the position of assistant women’s basketball coach at ESCC from 2000-2008. His coaching history also includes serving as the assistant coach for the Enterprise High School women’s basketball team for four years and the head coach of the EHS women’s team for four years. He most recently served as the head coach for the Kinston High School men’s basketball team.

“We’re happy to have George take on the role of head coach for our women’s basketball program,” ESCC President Danny Long said. “He’s already a valuable member of our Weevil family with his history as a coach here and his work with students in the classroom. I know he will do a great job leading our women’s team as its new coach.”

Scott said he is ready to get started.

“I love to see players develop as individuals on and off the court,” Scott said about working with student athletes. “I enjoy being a part of that process.”

He also said he is excited about his new position within the ESCC Athletic Division.

“As an instructor and now coach at the college, I consider the people at the college more than just co-workers,” he said. “I consider them family. Being the head women’s coach is an opportunity my family and I have prayed for. I am honored and excited to lead the program into the future.”

Enterprise State Community College recently received a $1,500 grant from Walmart #734 through its Walmart Community Grant Program, which will help the College address student food and nutrition needs.

“This year, we really wanted to give back to our local groups and organizations who are doing great things to help our community,” Enterprise Walmart Store Manager Terri Cawthon said. “We are happy to offer support to projects like the Weevil Pantry at Enterprise State.”

ESCC’s Student Basic Needs Coalition will utilize grant funds to provide food items through the Weevil Pantry as well as nutrition information to ESCC and Alabama Aviation College students. The Coalition’s mission is to address food and nutrition insecurity on both the ESCC and AAC Campuses, help minimize the effects of the financial barriers students face and provide emergency assistance to students experiencing unfortunate circumstances, such as loss of income or homelessness.

The Coalition has also partnered with the ESCC Foundation to facilitate the Student Emergency Aid Fund, which provides small amounts of monetary support for students facing emergency situations.

“ESCC joined the Alabama Campus Coalition for Basic Needs (ACCBN), and since then, we have learned more about food insecurity on college campuses and how we can work to lessen the number of students facing food insecurity on our campus,” ESCC’s Dean of Students Kassie Mathis said. “We are thankful for our partnership with Walmart and its support of our efforts to help students in need. I know this grant will go a long way to helping the Coalition achieve these goals and impact the lives of our students.”

Donations to the Coalition’s Weevil Pantries or to the Student Emergency Aid Fund are welcomed. To make a tax-deductible donation to the Student Emergency Aid Fund, visit escc.edu/studentemergencyaid. To donate to the Weevil Pantry, email mknight@escc.edu.

Local companies looking to hire employees are invited to attend two career fairs being held on the Enterprise State Community College and the Alabama Aviation College campuses on March 21.

Hosted in collaboration with Southeast AlabamaWorks, the fairs will allow employers to meet with potential hires while job seekers and students will have the opportunity to meet with possible employers.

The first Career Fair will be held at ESCC from 9-11 a.m. in the Student Center MPR. Later, from 1-3 p.m. in the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC) on the Alabama Aviation College campus in Ozark, employers will be set up to meet with attendees. ESCC/AAC students and members of the community are invited to attend the event.

Businesses interested in attending the event can register at escc.edu/careerfair23. Interested businesses can register for one or both events. There is no cost to participate.

Community members and students interested in attending the career fair are encouraged to have copies of their updated resume ready to present to employers. Visitors do not need to register to attend.

Students and alumni of colleges within the Alabama Community College System add $6.6 billion to Alabama’s economy, supporting one out of every 27 jobs in the state, according to an economic impact report released Monday.

The independent, 102-page report by Lightcast estimates the Alabama Community College System directly impacts 98,923 jobs in the state, representing about 2.7% of Alabama’s gross state product. Additionally, taxpayers see a net benefit of $1.1 billion in added tax revenue from students’ higher lifetime earnings and increased output to businesses.

Enterprise State Community College serves the four-county region of Pike, Dale, Coffee and Geneva Counties. According to Lightcast’s report for the College, ESCC added $78.9 million to the College’s service area economy for the 2020-21 fiscal year, the equivalent of 1,099 jobs.

“This report shows that Enterprise State is following its mission ‘to improve our communities by providing students with excellent opportunities to further their education and enter the workforce,’” ESCC President Danny Long said. “We are providing rigorous education and essential training that is funneling back into our local economy in a number of ways, and we are continually moving forward with projects and programs that we hope will increase that return to community.”

A part of the College’s total impact, ESCC’s alumni impact alone provided $65.2 million in added income to the College’s service area, the equivalent of hosting the World Series 10 times. Additionally, the college’s construction spending impact for the 2020-21 fiscal year was around $761,000. Since FY 20-21, the College has added two new construction projects: a new Performing Arts Center and a Workforce Training Center coming to the ESCC campus. Site work is already underway for these two projects on the ESCC campus in addition to the continued renovation projects at the Alabama Aviation College in Ozark.

The report also found that ESCC “is a strong investment” that provides almost $350 million in total benefits to society, which includes added student income, added income from college activities, added business income and social savings. The report states that “for every dollar invested in ESCC, people in Alabama will receive a cumulative value of $9.90 in benefits.”

“In addition to our well-known transfer degree options, we strive to offer essential training opportunities here at ESCC that meet both our students’ and our workforce needs,” ESCC’s Director of Workforce Development Leigh Shiver said. “We are proud of what we do to offer great educational opportunities and promote workforce and economic development in our community. It is truly fulfilling to see in this report the impact of our efforts.”

Among the report’s highlights for the state:

• The impact of the Alabama Community College System, which celebrates 60 years as a system this year and represents 24 community and technical colleges across Alabama, supported 98,923 jobs in FY2021. For perspective, the activities of the colleges and their students support one out of every 27 jobs in Alabama.
• Taxpayers, who provided the Alabama Community College System with $869.8 million of funding in FY2020-21, will receive an added tax revenue benefit of $1.1 billion. Additionally, reduced demand for government-funded services in Alabama will add another $82.2 million in benefits to taxpayers.
• The ACCS generates $7.40 for every dollar invested in ACCS, for as long as the colleges’ FY2020-21 students remain active in the state workforce.
• The average Alabama community college graduate earns $7,900 more each year than a resident who does not obtain more than a high school diploma.
• The average annual return for Alabama community college students is 22.1%.
• The colleges’ operations spending was $535.8 million in added income to the state economy.
• The colleges’ construction spending was $13.3 million in added income for Alabama.
• The jobs retained or created and additional investments by businesses supported by the Alabama Technology Network, an entity of the ACCS, created $206.5 million in added income.
• As a result of the $1.8 billion invested by Alabama to support the ACCS, the economy will grow by $12.8 billion over the course of students’ working lives.

Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics for colleges and universities, analyzed data using FY2020-21 academic and financial reports from Alabama’s community and technical colleges, as well industry and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau.

Enterprise State Community College’s Tiyanna Preston was named the 2023 Homecoming Queen on Wednesday, Feb. 1, during the men’s basketball game against Lurleen B. Wallace Community College.

Preston is a freshman at ESCC who represented the Lady Weevils Volleyball Team. After her time at ESCC, she plans to transfer to a four-year university to continue her studies in sports medicine.

Preston was chosen by ESCC students to receive the crown out of 11 Homecoming court finalists. These finalists were Preston, sophomore Rebecca Badger, representing The ESCC Entertainers and the ESCC History Club; freshman Aimelis Gonzalez Perez, representing the Student Support Services Advisory Board; Abby Layton, a freshman representing the ESCC Spirit Club; Sophomore Alexis Lopez, representing ESCC’s Spirit Club; sophomore Hannah Nguyen, representing Student Support Services; sophomore Emily Robbins, representing ESCC’s History Club; freshman Grace Sutherland, representing ESCC’s Circle K; sophomore Joycelyn Tinker, representing ESCC’s Student Government Association (SGA); freshman Jaylin Vera, representing ESCC’s Ambassadors and SGA; and freshman Alyssa Walz, representing Circle K.

The crowning of the Homecoming queen was part of a week of activities celebrating Homecoming 2023.

On Monday, ESCC students showed off their artistic skills through sidewalk chalk art, and on Tuesday, faculty, staff and students had the chance to taste some delicious sweets made by ESCC employees for a great Bake Off event.

On Wednesday, ESCC students took on employees during the Faculty/Staff vs Students basketball game. ESCC’s faculty and staff won the game 31-21. Finally, the week culminated on Thursday with a fun tailgate event.

2023 is off to a strong start at Enterprise State Community College, with another semester of enrollment growth and the start of new facility projects on campus.

For Spring 2023, Enterprise State saw a 15 percent increase in enrollment as compared to the Spring 2022 semester. This is the fourth year of enrollment growth for spring at the College.

“We have great programs here at the College that help students be successful, whether they plan to transfer to a four-year institution or start their careers after training with us,” ESCC’s Dean of Student Kassie Mathis said. “This semester more students are taking advantage of those programs, and we’re excited to see that.

“The team we have at Enterprise State is also fully dedicated to helping our students on their path to success,” she said. “Everyone from recruitment, admissions, financial aid, and our student success programs have taken the time to hold weekend events, financial aid nights, and to personally reach out to our students to help them with the enrollment process. We are here and available to our students to offer whatever assistance they need, and I believe our numbers reflect that.”

In addition to an increase in enrollment, the College will see the several facility projects move forward this spring.

Site preparation work for new buildings on the ESCC campus began on January 3. The College’s new Performing Arts Center (PAC) and a new Workforce Technology Center are currently expected to be completed on the Enterprise campus by Fall 2024.

Discussions about bringing a PAC to ESCC were held during ASPIRE 2030 meetings with local community leaders. ASPIRE (Achieving Systemwide Potential through Increased Resources and Engagement) meetings began in 2020 after it was announced that Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker developed the program to inspire deeper community engagement during the strategic planning process for capital improvement projects at Alabama community colleges.

The Workforce Technology Center is the result of a partnership with the City of Enterprise. In June 2022, ESCC proposed partnering with the City of Enterprise to build a $10 million, 20,000 square foot facility on ESCC’s campus that would help address workforce training needs in Coffee County and the Wiregrass. This facility will be dedicated to training students in automotive technology, construction science, mechatronics (already offered on both campuses), plumbing and electric, HVAC and welding. The council approved the partnership agreement during its Oct. 4, 2022, meeting.

“Enterprise State’s mission is to meet the education and training needs of our students and our community,” President Danny Long said. “Historically, we have been known for our rigorous two-year academic transfer programs, and in recent years, we’ve been developing career and technical training programs to meet workforce needs. These two new buildings on our campus will allow us to provide more technical training programs to prepare our students for high-demand careers while also filling a need for our workforce.”

Site work for the new buildings is expected to continue through the spring semester with completion expected to be Fall 2024. This project has affected traffic and parking patterns on the Enterprise campus, and information regarding parking on campus has been shared with students and on social media.

Other facility projects are expected to be completed this semester. These projects include a renovation project for the baseball and softball complex this will be completed in March 2023, which include new press boxes, stadium seating, and a concession stand. At the Alabama Aviation College, a unit of Enterprise State, a revitalization project aimed to bring updated labs and a hangar to the James Douglas Brown, Sr. Building is expected to be completed in time for fall classes to begin in August.

“Great things are happening at Enterprise State Community College, but at the heart of everything we do is our dedication to serving our community,” Long said. “ESCC is thankful for the continued support of our community and our business and industry partners, and we are excited to see what the future holds.”