Consisting of roughly 250,000 credit and non-credit students and 11,000 employees, the Alabama Community College System has developed into a significant part of the state's education system. 

Though the system faces a variety of challenges in developing a better-educated, more skilled workforce, Chancellor Dr. Mark Heinrich and other officials continue working to address these issues to improve the quality of the state's two-year educational offerings.

Heinrich, whose career in education spans 30 years and includes a stop as president of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, served as the guest speaker at last Wednesday's Scottsboro Rotary Club meeting. Scottsboro Mayor and Rotarian Melton Potter introduced Heinrich to those in attendance, saying Heinrich is the right person to be leading the state's community college system.

Even with an associate degree in welding or welding certificates, most welders coming out of college still need about a year of hands-on, in-the-field training after being hired, an expert in the field said.

Skilled, versatile welders are in high demand in north Alabama, said Jeff Reed, the shop superintendent of Byrd Maintenance Service Inc. in Decatur. He said it's becoming increasingly difficult to find skilled welders.