BCSD breaks ground on $73 million job prep academy

BCSD breaks ground on $73 million job prep academy
Industry partners will help train 10th-12th grade students

By Fran Thompson
Baldwin County Board of Education members and BCSD officials, shovels in hand and the luxury of cover overhead, broke ground for the BCSD’s Baldwin Preparatory Academy, a $73 million building that will be set on a 50-acre site on Hwy. 59, two miles north of Interstate-10. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.
“This unique school will be teaching industry sponsored job development, career tech curriculum with college-level and dual enrollment opportunities, as well as internships and apprenticeships, with the area’s leading employers. I am very excited about what we will be offering through this facility,’’ said Eddie Tyler, BCSD superintendent
The academy will offer job prep programs in health sciences, automotive technology, cyber security, culinary arts, engineering, cosmetology, construction, welding, graphic design, HVAC, teaching, aviation and logistics. Industry partners will help train students in 10th-12 grades in industry-specific environments while also offering the core curriculum necessary to earn a high school degree.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to be ready for a career the day they graduate high school. Baldwin County Public Schools System is leading the way in workforce development in our state. Tremendous job by everyone involved in making this vision become a reality,’’ said Alabama State Rep. Matt Simpson.
“This represents the most innovative education delivery method in Alabama,’’ added Alabama State Senator Chris Elliott at the Aug. 17 ceremony. “Our kids will be career ready to enter the workforce as soon as the graduate from high school.’’
The school will have a huge economic impact on Baldwin County, as businesses and industries are looking to fill skilled positions in the 7th fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.
Novelis, a leading sustainable aluminum solutions provider, has already started building a $2.5 billion low-carbon recycling and rolling plant in Bay Minette that will create around 1,000 jobs when it opens in 2025.
“With industry support, this high school promises not only education but an opportunity for students to enter the workforce immediately in high-paying jobs,’’ Tyler said.
The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance is also an Academy partner.