Site selectors say a well-trained workforce is their first priority when scouting a potential location. When they visit the 22-county service area of the Southeast Industrial Development Association, they mark that requirement off the list right away.

The area’s community colleges and workforce development providers offer everything from certificate courses to two- and four-year degrees, as well as customized training programs. All have created strong partnerships in their service areas that economic development professionals in the region say are best in practice.

With a seven-county coverage area, Georgia Northwestern Technical College is a major resource for the region. The school, formed in 2008 by the merger of Coosa Valley Technical College and Northwestern Technical College, offers a full range of coursework from its home and satellite campuses, says Dr. Craig McDaniel, president.

“Our mission is workforce development and occupational education, and our focus is on preparing people from our region for work,” McDaniel says. “With the job losses in our region, we’ve seen our enrollment go up, and we now have more than 6,100 students. We’re retraining those people for different careers, while also positioning ourselves to work with new businesses coming in, everyone from Volkswagen suppliers to health-care companies. We have more health-care programs than any other college in Georgia, and those graduates go to work and have a tremendous economic impact in the region.”

Strong community outreach is also a focus at North Carolina’s Tri-County Community College, a two-year institution serving students in Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. The college works with commuter students to provide college transfer, vocational, technical and adult-education programs in a wide range of fields.

And the impetus to provide and expand work-related programs also is very much felt at Cleveland State Community College, in Cleveland, Tenn., where more than 5,000 students take degree and noncredit courses each semester. A school strategy is strong links to new and existing industries, and many different avenues are used to achieve that objective, says Lloyd Longnion, director of training and continuing education.

Many companies have scaled back their in-house training departments, so the college is stepping into that role, Longnion says. Through a collaborative network, the college provides skills development for dislocated workers and partners with local governments and economic development councils.

“We’re listening to the descriptions of the businesses they’re courting, and working to make sure that the people here can be trained,” Longnion says. “We’re well positioned to assess and certify the learning ability of the workforce here, and emulate the kinds of learning situations that are going to occur on the plant floor or within that company’s walls. We’re going to be a proxy for the training that would normally go on within the corporation.”