Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University is a fully accredited four-year university located 20 miles north of Anniston in Jacksonville, Alabama on a 459-acre campus. JSU is the sixth largest university in Alabama, serving over 9,000 students and offering academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Programs are offered through its College of Arts and Sciences, College of Commerce and Business Administration, College of Education and Professional Studies, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Department of Military Science and the School of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education. Aside from on-campus classes, JSU also offers online classes for both undergraduate and graduate work.
JSU’s Department of Technology and Engineering offers a degree in Manufacturing Systems Technology. The program balances academic instruction with practical applications in manufacturing systems to provide a broad base of knowledge and skills needed to effectively manage and control production in manufacturing facilities. The degree programs offered by JSU’s Department of Technology are nationally accredited by the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering. (click here to visit the JSU website)
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden State Community College is a comprehensive community college dedicated to meeting the needs of the citizens in its service area. It offers the first two years of a four-year degree as well as a number of technical and certificate programs and non-credit programs that include skills training and adult education. The engineering technology division offers programs in Automotive Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Automation Technology, Drafting Design Technology, Electronic Engineering Technology, Electrical Technology, Machine Tool Technology and Mechanical Design Technology. The Gadsden State Community College Ayers Campus and the Gadsden State McClellan Center serve the residents in the Calhoun County area. (click here to visit the GSCC website)
Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT)
AIDT was established to build a health state economy by recruiting and training a skilled workforce to attract new industries to the state and to expand existing industries. AIDT assists a variety of employers throughout the state by identifying a qualified applicant pool through recruitment, screening and training services at no cost to the company. AIDT offers comprehensive pre-employment selection and training, leadership development, on-the-job training, continuous/process improvement assessments, maintenance assessments, and industrial safety assessments and training, all specific to a company’s needs. AIDT is the first state workforce training program in the United States to earn international certification for it quality management system. AIDT was awarded the ISO 9001:2008 certification by the International Organization for Standardization. (click here for additional information)
Calhoun County Career Technical Center
The Calhoun County Career Technical Center is open to tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students in the Calhoun County School System. Students attend the Career Technical Center for skills and technical training, while completing required academic work at their area schools. Courses are offered in Automotive Service Technology, CISO Computer Networking, Collision Repair Technology, Drafting Design Technology, Electrical Technology, Health Science, Cosmetology, Early Childhood Education and Older Adult Services, Carpentry, Welding Technology, Precision Machining Technology, Power Equipment Technology and Auto Detail. Through the Career/Technical Cooperative Education Program, students receive instruction in their selected occupations through on-the-job training. All career technical programs are Business Industry Certified (BIC). This process requires each program to undergo an onsite visit facilitated through the State Department of Education by a program-like educator and two representatives from the Business and Industry in the community. The programs that meet this rigorous standard have all areas evaluated including, lesson plans, community, business and industry involvement, job placement and equipment that mirrors actual job conditions.