For nearly 10 months a team of tourism, chamber, workforce and education professionals have been working on a plan to bring critical resources to our area to enhance our workforce. We have prepared a proposal to request American Rescue Plan funds from the State of Alabama for a workforce campus in South Baldwin County. This campus will include short term rental housing for 2,000 people, an extended hour child care facility, a transportation hub, along with an education component to include a two and a four year college.
The Gateway Team is working with Opportunity Alabama to develop a comprehensive proforma for investment for the South Baldwin Workforce Development campus. As part of the data collection required, we are surveying employers to gather the following information:
- Zip codes of current employees and those who worked in 2021 to determine commuting patterns
- Data on housing currently provided or subsidized for employees by the employer including rents charged
- Employers interest in subsidizing employee housing proposed on the South Baldwin Workforce Campus