58 INC., Shelby County’s economic development organization, and the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce (GSCCC), hosted a “Signing Day” event to highlight the County’s newest workforce development initiative – a U.S. Department of Labor Machine Tool Technology Registered Apprenticeship Program in partnership with Lawson State Community College and a consortium of local employers.  This is a direct response to the expressed needs of local employers for the highly skilled trade as well as a commitment made by the leadership of 58 INC. and the GSCCC through the Shelby One-Next Level Up campaign to identify and meet local employer needs through partnered initiatives.  While the first cohort of apprentices is a small pilot class, the desire of the partners is to create a pipeline of skilled labor to feed the projected demand and workforce gaps anticipated due to an aging workforce and a stagnant emphasis on trades at the K-12 level.  Further, the partnership hopes that this is the first of many initiatives to directly address workforce needs for local employers.

Yvonne Murray is at the helm of an organization that many believe will play a significant role in shaping the future of Shelby County, but when she tells people that she works in economic development, she said most have a hard time understanding what that means.

A recent wave of economic announcements in the City of Columbiana has generated the need for a concentrated effort to find candidates for the new jobs being created in the City.   Three companies have announced that they will be searching for a combined total of 170 employees in the coming weeks so a Career Fair has been planned to recruit and hire quality candidates.  

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — A wide-ranging study conducted by researchers at Alabama State University shows great disparities in the quality of life in different areas of Alabama.

Three Shelby County cities are among the best 100 places to live, according to Money magazine.