Northeast Alabama – A new regional economic development organization has announced a partnership with three educational programs aimed at addressing workforce needs across nine counties in Northeast Alabama.
ONE East Alabama, which represents Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Randolph, St. Clair, Tallapoosa, and Talladega counties, has formed partnerships with CREATE, EARTH, and the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama to coordinate workforce training and educational initiatives.
Key Program Components
CREATE operates from Oxford, Alabama, under director Lorie Denton. The program currently serves Oxford High School and plans to expand to 16 additional high schools in August. CREATE offers hands-on training and industry credentials in aviation, cybersecurity, robotics, and criminal justice, preparing students for either immediate workforce entry or continued education.
EARTH (East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub), located in Sylacauga under Margaret Morton’s leadership, is transforming the former Avondale Mills complex into a workforce training and innovation campus. The facility will focus on agriculture, healthcare, IT, and manufacturing, while providing support services including transportation, childcare, and job placement assistance for adult learners.
The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama in Rainbow City, led by Executive Director Dr. Farrah Hayes, provides NASA-vetted STEM experiences to over 40,000 students across 12 counties. The center focuses on middle school programming with plans to expand to other grade levels, offering space-themed missions and STEM microcredentialing.
Regional Impact Goals
According to Executive Director Kelley Pearce, ONE East Alabama aims to ensure economic opportunities reach smaller communities that have historically had limited access to workforce development resources. The initiative seeks to align regional workforce skills with industry needs while reducing the need for residents to relocate for career opportunities.
The partnership combines secondary education programs, adult workforce training, rural economic development, and STEM education under a coordinated regional approach. Each program maintains its individual focus while contributing to broader workforce development goals across the nine-county region.
The collaboration represents an effort to address regional workforce needs through coordinated educational and training programs, targeting both traditional students and adult learners across Northeast Alabama’s rural and urban communities.
