Online job portal links Tuscaloosa area students with jobs, careers
![Zach Homan, Jacob Sumner, Daxon Chandler and Timothy Boyce, all students at Tuscaloosa Christian School, race radio controlled forklifts during the West Alabama Worlds of Work at Shelton State Thursday, October 12, 2017. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/PyshEYE6cnZ_Za9aZtukgw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MjQ-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-tuscaloosa-news/6e997264dbc2b28c4ae33415ab774882)
Tuscaloosa-area government and business leaders have teamed up to create an online portal that connects local high school students with potential employers.
The Tuscaloosa County Commission and West AlabamaWorks! have unveiled the I.G.N.I.T.E Student Employment Portal, which is believed to be a first-of-its-kind tool to link students between the ages of 14 and 18 with everything from summer jobs to eventual careers.
Organizers said West AlabamaWorks! will continue to add jobs to the portal and work with both the Tuscaloosa County and Tuscaloosa City school systems to connect these students to jobs, co-ops and apprenticeships.
“I.G.N.I.T.E. really stands for igniting students’ opportunities for jobs, but it really ties character and employability skills to our students, and it’s got a lot of training to go along with this for our students” said Donny Jones, executive director of West AlabamaWorks! and chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. “It is an exciting time that we’re going to be igniting the kids' opportunities.”
Student seeking jobs can do so now at wawstudentjobs.com.
Employers interested in posting jobs are directed to wawstudentjobs.com/employer-information.
Each letter of the I.G.N.I.T.E. stands for a quality or attribute that West AlabamaWorks! and county officials believe employees should represent or embody: Integrity, Gratitude, Never Give Up, Initiative, Timeliness and Enthusiasm.
The origins of the program date back to January, when the Tuscaloosa County Commission unanimously approved a $175,000 contract to partner with West AlabamaWorks! to develop this online student jobs portal as well as other workforce and community development services.
West AlabamaWorks! worked with community leaders and schools to build on the traditional summer jobs program to connect students with part-time jobs throughout the year as well as expand apprenticeship opportunities through programs like Modern Manufacturing and West Alabama Skilled Trade Center, in addition to connecting students to other career paths and resources.
West AlabamaWorks! also has held outreach events to extend employment opportunities to those in rural areas and communities negatively affected by the pandemic.
![Jordan Williams signs his apprenticeship letter with Local Union 372's Apprenticeship Training Program. Students from across Tuscaloosa City and County Schools participate in the West Alabama Regional Signing Day at Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy Thursday, May 2, 2019. Students onto apprenticeship programs and career technical education and ready-to-work programs with area industries. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Zbk8k1VbUwdLXXCnPtA8_g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-tuscaloosa-news/5e60520f2e1c445808c6617c4ce0c707)
“We believe it’s going to create new opportunities: one for students to get out and find work, or internships, or co-op opportunities in the workforce, but also our employers to get young and energetic employees,” said Tuscaloosa County Commission Chairman Rob Robertson. “I think they need that, and we’ve missed some of these opportunities over the last year or two due to the pandemic. So, we are looking forward to a very positive launch and see where this thing goes.
“We think it’s innovative. We were not able to find a whole lot of other examples like this around the nation. I think it is going to be another interesting and productive innovation from Tuscaloosa County.”
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The goal of the portal is for every student employment position on the site to be an effective and transformative learning experience that prepares students for meaningful, passionate, and productive careers, officials said.
“We’re very excited about I.G.N.I.T.E. Student Jobs opportunities and what it is going to mean to our students here in West Alabama,” said Jones, who also serves as chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. “Particularly, we are launching the pilot in Tuscaloosa County, so our students are going to be able to get great jobs during the summer.
“It’s going to connect our students with employers and those opportunities during the summer to go full-time or part-time and then also to do co-ops during the school year. We are really excited about the opportunity to take our world-class Career Connect system and implement it with our students and our schools.”
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Online job portal links Tuscaloosa area students with jobs, careers
