Education & Training
A Strong Workforce for a Growing Mobile
Mobile’s growing business community counts on a strong, talented, and dedicated workforce. Abundant education programs ensure local residents have the skills area employers need. Among the most recognized state-led workforce training programs in the country, AIDT offers comprehensive pre-employment selection and on-the-job training specific to a qualifying company’s needs. In Mobile, AIDT operates the Alabama Aviation Training Center, AIDT Maritime Training Center, and the Erich Heine Learning Center.
Mobile is home to several colleges and universities. The largest is the University of South Alabama, with more than 16,000 students. Coastal Alabama Community College, Spring Hill College, and the University of Mobile are privately run.
There are also numerous community colleges, training centers, and apprenticeship programs, including Bishop State Community College, Alabama Aviation Center, and Coastal Alabama Community College. In the spring of 2016, a new 25,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing training facility was announced to help the Alabama Community College System meet employer needs for skilled workers.
In addition to having the state’s largest Advanced Placement program, Mobile County Public Schools has 12 Signature Academies with career-oriented curriculums based on current and projected job openings. Included areas of focus are advanced information technology, aerospace, coastal studies, engineering, entrepreneurship, health, international studies, manufacturing, and maritime.
K-12 Education
1 Magnum Pass, Mobile
Mobile County Public Schools has nearly 60,000 children, making it Alabama’s largest public school system. The system has two International Baccalaureate high schools, a magnet program serving students in K-8, and 13 National Blue Ribbon Schools, the highest award given by the U.S. Department of Education.
The Regional School for the Deaf and Blind and Augusta Evans Special School offer services to special-needs students.
There are three additional public school systems in Mobile County – Chickasaw, Saraland, and Satsuma.
New students enrolling in a public school should bring their parent or legal guardian, a photo ID, two proofs of residence, and the student’s social security card, birth certificate, certificate of immunization, and report cards. Immunizations are required for Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Rubella, Measles, and Mumps.
Entrance age requirements: Any child who will be five or six years old on or before Sept. 1 is eligible for kindergarten or first grade, respectively.
Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
1255 Dauphin St., Mobile
The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science attracts some of the brightest high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from all parts of the state and offers outreach programs for local students and schools.
The area has a large parochial school system operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile, including McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, St. Mary’s Catholic School, and Little Flower Catholic School. Many other schools are operated through churches or private boards. In all, there are more than 40 private and denominational schools in Mobile.
Mobile Chamber-member private and parochial schools include:
Catholic School System
Board of Catholic Education
352 Government St., Mobile
251.438.4611
Little Flower Catholic School
Pre-K (3&4), K – 8
2103 Government St., Mobile
251.479.5761
McGill-Toolen Catholic High School
Grades 9 – 12
1501 Old Shell Road, Mobile
251.445.2900
St. Luke’s Episcopal School
Pre-K – 12
3975 Japonica Lane, Mobile
251.666.2991
St. Mary’s Catholic School
Grades K – 8
107 N. Lafayette St., Mobile
251.433.9904
St. Paul’s Episcopal School
Grades Pre-K – 12
161 Dogwood Lane, Mobile
251.342.6700
UMS-Wright Preparatory School
Grades Pre-K – 12
65 N. Mobile St., Mobile
251.479.6551
Colleges
The Mobile area is home to several four-year institutions and two-year community colleges and career training establishments.
Spring Hill College
4000 Dauphin St., Mobile
251.380.4000
Spring Hill College, founded in 1830, is one of the nation’s oldest Jesuit institutions. Recognized as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the South, it offers graduate programs in business administration, theology, liberal arts, nursing, and education, as well as a Division for Lifelong Studies for adults wishing to further their education.
University of South Alabama
307 University Blvd., Mobile
251.460.6101
The University of South Alabama has more than 16,000 students at campuses in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs. In healthcare, USA provides students with an exceptional medical education through the colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health Professions.
University of Mobile
5735 College Parkway, Mobile
251.675.5990
The University of Mobile is a private institution affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in over 40 areas of study.
Bishop State Community College
Main Campus
351 N. Broad St., Mobile
251.405.7000
Carver Campus
414 Stanton Rd., Mobile
251.662.5362
Southwest Campus
925 Dauphin Island Pkwy., Mobile
251.665.4100
Baker-Gaines Central Campus
1365 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Mobile
251.405.4400
Bishop State Community College has four campuses and works with local industries to provide training programs for new and existing employees. In addition to university transfer programs, the college is expanding its technology training to match the needs of Mobile industries.
Coastal Alabama Community College
1900 S. U.S. Hwy. 31, Bay Minette
251.580.2100
Coastal Alabama Community College, a public two-year institution in Southwest Alabama, offers over 100 programs with campuses in Atmore, The Academy at the Fairhope Airport, Bay Minette, Brewton, Fairhope, Gilbertown, Gulf Shores, Jackson, Life Tech Center, Monroeville, and Thomasville.
Faulkner University
3943 Airport Blvd., Mobile
251.380.9090
Faulkner University maintains a campus in Mobile where students can attain associate degrees in most major subjects.
Alabama Aviation Center at Mobile
A Unit of Coastal Alabama Community College
1975 Avenue C, Mobile
251.438.2816
Alabama Aviation Center at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley trains students to work in aviation maintenance and avionics. It was the first two-year college to be designated as an official FAA Educational Resource Center. The facility accommodates 300 students.
Fortis College
7033 Airport Blvd., Mobile
251.344.1203
Fortis College offers a variety of programs in healthcare and air conditioning and refrigeration.
MTI Business Solutions
6300 Grelot Rd., Ste. G123, Mobile
251.281.1060
MTI Business Solutions provides business training and computer training to individuals as well as to companies of all sizes.
Remington College
828 Downtowner Loop W., Mobile
251.243.0639
Remington College offers programs including medical technology, computer technology, and criminal justice.
Skilled Training
A highly skilled workforce and excellent training programs are just two of many assets that make the Mobile area the perfect location for a business to expand. Among the diverse industries with the highest skilled employees are aviation/aerospace, shipbuilding, steel, manufacturing, and healthcare. Below are links to resources for those seeking training opportunities in these industries:
AIDT, the state’s workforce training program, offers comprehensive pre-employment selection and training, leadership development, on-the-job training, and industrial safety assessments and training – all specific to a qualifying company’s needs. In Mobile, AIDT operates the Alabama Aviation Training Center and the AIDT Maritime Training Center.
AIDT Aviation Training Center – 251.432.3336
AIDT Maritime Training Center – 251.405.8698
Programs at the Mobile campus include Airframe, Powerplant (A&P), and Avionics. An Advanced Composite Program is currently under development.
In Mobile, AIDT operates the Alabama Aviation Training Center and the AIDT Maritime Training Center.
Alabama Technology Network (ATN)
A part of the Alabama Community College System and Alabama’s affiliate with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, ATN’s team of experts provides services through a variety of training options and methods. In 2014, ATN serves 377 business clients in the Mobile area and saved clients a total of $58.6 million.
Southwest Alabama Partnership for Training and Employment (SWAPTE) – 251.432.0909
Southwest Alabama Partnership for Training and Employment (SWAPTE) provides comprehensive employment, career counseling, and job training services to businesses through the one-stop Alabama Career Center in Mobile. It also offers job seekers training designed to help them find better job opportunities.
SWAPTE helps local businesses leverage their training investment and add profit back to their bottom line. SWAPTE On-the-Job Training program pays up to 50 percent of costs to train a company’s eligible new hires from 11 to 26 weeks; while SWAPTE Incumbent Worker Training program pays up to 50 percent of a company’s total training costs for existing staff, up to $15,000 maximum per contract. Businesses cover the other 50 percent of costs and may provide in-kind contributions, as well as cash, toward the match.