LEFT : Local industry leaders join Wallace State educators at the ASPIRE 2030 Forum at Wallace State Community College . Photo by Tyler Hanes .
BELOW : Wallace State ’ s Diesel Mechanics program offers Kubota certifications through the National Coalition of Certification Centers . Photo courtesy Wallace State
considering .
Those takeaways included stronger relationships with industry partners , training students in how to transition from a virtual learning environment to the real-life workforce , adding more quality assurance training among all of the college ’ s programs and purchasing more relevant training equipment to make sure students are able to get hands-on training .
Community colleges have their name for a reason , and that is to be at the center of their communities and be able to respond to changes , whether it ’ s the advancement of technology or a pandemic , McMoy said .
“ That ’ s our obligation , that ’ s why we ’ re a community college ,” he said . “ We have to lead the community in responding to innovation and disruption .”
Technology is changing the way some industries work , so graduates from Wallace State need to be up-to-date on the right kind of welders that are being used or have the right certifications to make sure they are able to work as soon as they leave the school , McMoy said .
McMoy said the ASPIRE 2030 is just one part of the strategic planning process , and additional community meetings have already taken place or are planned to discuss other areas for consideration .
“ Our focus is what we can do for this community ,” he said . “ We want to be at the forefront of everything that happens in Cullman and surrounding areas ."
McMoy said the deadline for the ASPIRE 2030 plan is Dec . 11 , and Wallace State will be competing for the $ 120 million in funding with the state ' s other community colleges , but he hopes the process can lead to more funding opportunities .
Gov . Kay Ivey has set a goal of 500,000 additional credentialed workers by 2025 , and having each college come to the state government with detailed plans on how they can achieve grow and develop the future workforce may persuade the legislature to release more money into the community college system , he said .
“ It ’ s just a stepping-off point for getting more funding ,” he said . S
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