Local agency working to tackle Alabama youth workforce disconnect

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) - In a recently conducted survey, Alabama has the highest rate of disconnected youth. That number was 18 percent, the highest in the nation.

The age group ranges from 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in school, and those who are not working.

Katie Thomas is the Executive Director of Southeast Alabama Works, where they are working on getting more people to join the workforce and change that data.

“Value equals paychecks. They have to be bringing some type of value to the workforce to earn a good paycheck. That Value is going to come in the form of certifications or college education. They have to do something beyond high school to make a good living,” Katie Thomas said.

Thomas also mentioned that in order for a family of four to survive off of one living income need to make 28 dollars an hour.

Southeast Alabama Works is trying to make it easier to find jobs in the area by adding a tab on its website that has openings in the nearby ten-county region.

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