Cary Cox from the Auburn Training Connection addressed the Auburn Rotary Club at our last regular meeting of the calendar year. The ATC helps with not only the recruitment of new industry to Auburn but also the training of individuals to make them more qualified to fill the types of jobs that these new industries bring to the area. The ATC serves as a unique partnership between industry, education and government.

Any town’s workforce can be broken down into four basic categories: [1] highly experienced and highly motivated workers; [2] highly motivated but inexperienced workers; [3] experienced and skilled but unmotivated; and [4] low skills, not much experience and questionable motivation. The ATC tries to help provide ways that the less experienced and lower-skilled individuals can receive training to help them compete for high paying jobs. Besides offering training seminars ATC has also partnered with Auburn High School to initiate an industrial technology program at the high school. The City of Auburn has invested more than $175,000 worth of equipment in lab equipment to help precipitate this program. The AHS program is growing exponentially each year too—from 13 students in the first year (2004) to 49 students in 2005 and now 82 students in the current school year. Beginning this week, the Auburn technology program will begin a very ambitious program where students will build an actual hovercraft at the AHS labs.

Cox (center) with program chair Dick Phelan (right) and Club President-election Jim Golson (left)