What an incredible program for our community!
REGIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER SERVING STUDENTS AND ADULTS OPENING IN OXFORD The Choccolocco Research, Education and Technical Experience, or CREATE, is a regional workforce development, technology, and innovation center in East Alabama that will help mitigate the skilled workforce shortage in high wage/high demand career fields in our region. CREATE will provide students the opportunity to go straight to work, or build upon any of the pathways below earning a 2 or 4 year degree in these fields. Upskill training for adults as well as incumbent worker training will be offered in the evenings. The following career pathways will be implemented in a phased approach: Phase 1/ August 2024/ Engineering, Green Power, Computer Science, Robotics, Comprehensive Commercial Construction, Modern Manufacturing, and Criminal Justice Phase 2/ August 2025 Cybersecurity, Mechanical and Electrical Industrial Maintenance, Mechatronics, Transportation, Distribution, Logistics, and STEM Research, Innovation and Technology Development. Phase 3/August 2026/Aviation Oxford City Schools, working closely with the City of Oxford and the Calhoun County Economic Development Council, officially became the owners of the former 95,000 sqft Honeywell building at the beginning of March. Through the partnerships of municipalities, school districts, our local economic development council, our regional business and industry leaders, and our state and local elected officials, this innovative workforce development and technology center will be one of the first of its kind in Alabama, located in Calhoun County, the heart of East Alabama. The career pathways will be available to high school students across five counties within an approximate 30-40 minute drive time radius. This includes Calhoun, Cleburne, Clay, Talladega, and St. Clair over a three-year period. Phase 1/August 2024/Open to Oxford High School students Phase 2/August 2025/Begin opening to any student from the above 5 counties Phase 3/August 2026/Continued acceptance of students from the above 5 counties The adult training component has already begun in Comprehensive Commercial Construction, thanks to funding from the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Board Grant. Those classes are currently taking place at night on the campus of Oxford High School, and will move to CREATE in August. Our local businesses and industries have worked side by side with us in the development of CREATE. From initial site visits to similar facilities, curriculum planning, build out and design of the space, providing equipment and instructors, and connecting us with additional resources, this space allows them the opportunity to build deeper relationships with students at an earlier stage, with the hope of securing them as a future employee. With CREATE, we are preparing the next generation of workforce while leaving a legacy on the economic footprint in East Alabama.