During a ceremony on Thursday, July 25, the Daleville Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated its partnership with Southeast Alabama Works, a partnership the chamber hopes will provide resources for local industry, businesses and those seeking employment.
Southeast Alabama Works is a nonprofit organization that works to provide the future workforce of Alabama’s business and industry sectors. The organization began in 2009 and became a state-codified organization in 2016.
It is one of seven regional sections of the greater Alabama Works organization, and it focuses on the workforce needs of Coffee, Dale, Houston, Covington, Geneva, Henry, Barbour, Crenshaw, Butler and Pike Counties.
The organization works with agencies such as the Alabama Career Center System, school systems, Career Tech Centers at high schools and community colleges and more to address workforce and industry needs.
Chamber Executive Director Kecia Ham said the partnership will benefit the city and its citizens, especially with a potential job fair being discussed.
“This partnership with Southeast Alabama Works is such a blessing to those that are overwhelmed and just don’t know where to begin,” she said. “It is a great way to help our community members and students find more job options and career opportunities.
“We also hope to bring a job fair to Daleville in the next few months. With the help of Southeast Alabama Works, I believe it will be a success.”
Southeast Alabama Works Director of Workforce Development Ryan Richards said Daleville was in a unique position to affect not only the civilian workforce, but also the military-influenced workforce.
“Our partnership with the chambers of commerce is to connect with small and large businesses that have relationships developed already with the chambers and to provide knowledge of the resources we can provide in workforce issues,” he said. “Daleville is in a unique situation with the population and different types of businesses that are military and civilian. I think that is a strength of our region, as our workforce has a strong military presence.”
One example of the influence of the military on local workforce Richards provided was the Fort Rucker-Wiregrass job fair, what he described as a military-driven job fair, that is being held on July 31.
“The partnership with Daleville will allow us to help any of those companies that may not be aware of resources that are on the table, whether it’s connecting with the K-12 system, whether it’s connecting with the community college or even adults who are either unemployed or underemployed,” he said.
For more information about the partnership, contact the chamber at (334) 598-6331 or chamber@dalevilleal.com. Information about Southeast Alabama Works can also be found at www.southeastalabamaworks.com.