Job prospects up for college grads
Tuscaloosa News – May 5
There’s good news for this year’s college graduates: Job prospects for new workers are looking better than they have since the recession. Employers are increasingly seeking recent college grads to join their ranks, according to nationwide surveys. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that companies plan to hire 5.2 percent more recent graduates this year than in 2015. A survey conducted for the online job search engine CareerBuilder indicated that 67 percent of companies plan to hire recent college grads — the highest outlook in nearly 10 years. “Our on-campus recruiting has been up this year,” said Amanda Ingram, director of operations for the University of Alabama Career Center. Job fairs held on campus saw 10 percent more participation by employers during the 2015-2016 academic year, she said.
Unemployment rate down from February to March
Clanton Advertiser – May 5
Chilton County’s unemployment rate of 5.8 percent for March was down from February but up from last March. The revised rates were 6.1 percent in February and 5.4 percent in March 2015. The county’s preliminary rate of 5.8 percent for March was below the state’s seasonally adjusted rate of 6.2 percent. The March rate represents 1,108 unemployed residents in the county … From January 2016 to March 2016, Alabama’s wage and salary employment grew by 21,500. In January, economists at the University of Alabama’s College of Business and Economic Research predicted wage and salary growth of 29,450. (Center for Business and Economic Research. Alabama Economic Outlook 2016. Tuscaloosa: Culverhouse College of Commerce, Center for Business and Economic Research, 2016.)
Arts Renaissance in Tuscaloosa Schools program sparks kids’ creative juices
Tuscaloosa News – May 5
Arts Renaissance in Tuscaloosa Schools is one of those programs that, if fully successful, would make itself obsolete. “My dream would be that my program wouldn’t be necessary, because there’d be a dedicated arts teacher in every school,” said Marysia Galbraith, founder and chief driver behind ARTS … So about five years ago, when her son Ian was at Matthews Elementary, she concocted the ARTS. Galbraith, an associate professor at New College and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alabama, is also a potter, and as such, meets many local artists in various fields.
Trump’s Immigration Plan Would Shrink US Economy by Over $1 Trillion, Study Says
JP Updates – May 6
If Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s proposed immigration plan were implemented, then the United States economy would shrink by over $1 trillion, according to a study conducted by the American Action Forum. Using 2012 numbers, about 6.8 million workers in the private sector were undocumented immigrants, making up 5.6% of the private sector workforce. A study by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research said the law cost the state up to $10.8 billion in lost income and tax revenue as a result of the law after between 40,000 to 80,000 Latinos left the state.
NATA & Airbus Americas invest in future of aviation human resources
JDA Journal – May 5
The Human Resource experts all predict that in the near future, there will be shortages of pilots, aviation maintenance technicians, aeronautical engineers, STEM graduates and the like. While many point to inadequate supplies of qualified personnel to perform these vital tasks, few are doing much more than whining. Here are two examples of aviation organizations doing something positive to address this potential crisis … The Mobile located organization has linked with the two universities in a number of ways, which include, among other involvements, Airbus Americas … is involved with USA in establishing an Innovation Hub in Mobile, as well as a relationship through an Airbus Group University Partners Program at the University of Alabama.
Confederate monuments are about more than just the Confederacy
Al.com – May 5
It’s been called the “Hatred” Preservation Act, and it has been widely condemned for its alleged defense of the Confederacy. Officially titled the Alabama Heritage Preservation Act of 2016, the bill would prohibit the relocation, removal, alteration, or renaming of statues, monuments, memorials, and buildings on public property. After the Senate approved the bill in March, sponsor Gerald Dial proclaimed that the bill would “make sure that the true story of Alabama history is told.”(By Jackson Prather, a master’s student in the Department of History at the University of Alabama, graduate of the University of North Alabama and longtime resident of the state of Alabama)
Crozet Weather Almanac: April 2016
The Crozet Gazette (Va.) – May 6
What is the chance of being hit by a meteorite falling from the sky? That is impossible to say for sure, but only one person in human history is a “confirmed hit.” Ann Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama was minding her own business, taking a nap in her home in 1954, when a space rock crashed through her ceiling and ricocheted into her hip. She was hospitalized, but was not seriously wounded … The Hodges meteorite weighs about 8½ pounds and is on permanent display at the Alabama Museum of Natural History at the University of Alabama.