TROY, Ala. (WDNews) – Southeast AlabamaWorks, the workforce council serving Pike County and nine other surrounding counties, will dissolve by the end of September due to a loss in funding. The organization, which was founded in 2015, will cease operations following the passage of the Alabama Workforce Transformation Act in 2024, which cut funding for all AlabamaWorks organizations.
Southeast AlabamaWorks has been integral in connecting local businesses, industries, educational institutions, and jobseekers. Executive Director Katie Thomas emphasized the importance of their work, saying, “We do a lot of work to connect businesses and industry to education and jobseekers.”
The organization has been responsible for hosting several events each year, such as the annual Southeast World of Works, a career exploration event for students. Last year, over 4,000 students and 500 volunteers participated in the event, which is held twice annually on the east and west sides of the region. Southeast AlabamaWorks also organized resume and interview contests for local high school seniors, with winners receiving scholarships, in addition to career fairs, STEM workshops, and other educational panels.
However, the financial strain from the Alabama Workforce Transformation Act led to the difficult decision to shut down. “This is a direct result of legislation that passed in March 2024,” Thomas said. “The act realigned workforce development across the state and restructured the funding previously given to local workforce development efforts.”
Thomas explained that the organization faced a choice: raise half a million dollars annually or dissolve. With Southeast AlabamaWorks now closing its doors, it will be the fourth AlabamaWorks organization to shut down this year.
The new regional workforce boards created by the Alabama Workforce Transformation Act will primarily oversee federal WIOA funding, but Thomas emphasized that these boards will not perform the same work as Southeast AlabamaWorks. “They only oversee the funding that goes directly to the career centers in the state. That does not involve any of the work that we were previously doing,” Thomas added.
Thomas highlighted the impact of the closure, noting that it will leave a gap in workforce development resources for the region. “It means people will have to rely solely on the workforce development directors at each community college and wait to see if any local jobs become available through the Department of Workforce,” she said. “Career Centers have also had a reduction in staff this year, so they aren’t able to serve as many people as they used to.”
The closure will also directly impact the Southeast AlabamaWorks team. “We’re all out of jobs after the dissolution,” Thomas said. She, along with colleagues Dana Hendrix and Kathy Smyth, is now looking for new employment opportunities. “We have a host of skills and experience to offer, so we’re all looking for new opportunities.”
Despite the impending dissolution, Thomas and her team continue to push forward with scheduled events. “We still have a full program of work between now and the end of September,” she said. Upcoming events include two STEM teacher conferences in July, a career fair at the Dothan Civic Center in August, and the Workforce Champion Award ceremony with the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce in September.
