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Thousands of west Alabama students will get a firsthand look Thursday of what could be their future career.

West Alabama Works is hosting the Worlds of Work event at Shelton State Community College. Employers from across west Alabama will show students what they do and how they could get on the fast track to get a job.

The seventh-annual Worlds of Work (WOW) Career Expo will bring industry leaders and education partners together with more than 4,000 students from west Alabama to Shelton State Community College this week.

“We’re giving students the opportunity to see the careers the West Alabama region has to offer. WOW can change a student’s career pathway for the better,” said Chamber of Commerce Chief Workforce Officer and West Alabama Works Executive Director Donny Jones. “WOW is like no other event we put on throughout the year.”

Dozens of adults completed the West Alabama Works’ Educator Workforce Academy program, showing that Worlds of Work, or WOW, isn’t just about kids.

West Alabama Works successfully completed their eighth WOW event in Tuscaloosa. Part of that process includes helping motivate and train educators on how they can play a bigger role in helping students decide what could be a good career for them.

The 2023 Worlds of Work Career Expo aimed to put some fun into choosing a line of work for ninth-grade students in West Alabama.

"It's like the Disney World of workforce," said Donny Jones, executive director of West AlabamaWorks!, the chief operating officer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and one of the organizers of the career expo.

West AlabamaWorks‘ Worlds of Work event is back at Shelton State Community College this week, offering West Alabama’s ninth-graders a hands-on look at some of the jobs waiting for them when they graduate high school.

“Who likes free?”

Those were the words of the Warrior EMS Academy announcing its free and full EMT certification program that is meant to remove the cost barrier for people seeking EMT certification in west Alabama. To be eligible for the program, students must be from Greene, Pickens, Marengo, Hale, or Sumter counties.

Alabama releases about 13,000 people from jail or prison every year, and they're expected to reintegrate into communities by sustaining employment, housing and other essentials.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - The future became much clearer Wednesday for several hundred teenagers in West Alabama. They’re now set to start working fulltime or learn from some of the best skilled workers in the state.

(Tuscaloosa News) More than 80 high school seniors had a reason to celebrate Wednesday. Those seniors are leaving high school with sold post-graduation employment plans.