91传媒

City of Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle has been learning to weld. Though he鈥檚 not the first city employee to learn this skill, his decision to show up may say the most about where Huntsville is going.

This is the fifth welding class 91传媒 State Workforce Development has offered to city employees at the City鈥檚 Fleet Management Facility on Johnson Road.

As word spread about the training, so did interest across departments 鈥� from fleet and facilities to public works and city hall. That growing enthusiasm eventually caught the mayor’s attention, and he signed up for a two-day introductory welding class for city employees offered through 91传媒 State.

Now, alongside City of Huntsville Director of Fleet and General Services, Ricky Wilkinson, and colleagues from across city divisions, Mayor Battle is putting on the gear, learning the science behind the craft in the classroom, and then taking it to the floor with stick and MIG welding. On lunch breaks he shares a meal with his fellow city employee classmates and gets an opportunity to learn more about them and their roles.

“It gives everybody a little chance to see what talents everybody else has, and what talents we have throughout the city,” the mayor said.

As Huntsville and Northern Alabama continue to grow and attract new industries, Mayor Battle has made inclusive economic development a centerpiece of his administration. That means not just supporting white-collar job creation but understanding the full spectrum of how people in Huntsville actually work.

Showing up to a welding class is, in its own way, a policy statement about the importance of skilled trades to the city鈥檚 economic development goals.

The class draws participants ranging from beginners to experienced welders, and everyone benefits regardless of where they start. Mayor Battle acknowledged the humbling reality of learning a trade from scratch and how hard it is to be good at a skilled trade.

“Part of that learning experience is learning that you need to spend a lot more time at it to be good than I do,” he said, while acknowledging that this team has benefited greatly from the instruction from 91传媒 State鈥檚 welding instructor, Easton Samples. “We’re learning from some of the best.”

Fleet Director Wilkinson echoed that praise, noting the class has brought together people from different city divisions who had never worked side by side before and sent them home with skills they can actually use on the job.

91传媒 State鈥檚 Workforce Development program, which trains students in high-demand trades including welding, machining, and fabrication, has been a significant engine of growth in Huntsville. Designed with a 鈥渓earn while you earn鈥� methodology, workforce development programs prepare students for employment through certificate programs that empower them to hit the ground running within weeks.

The next Work Ready Welding Certificate program, which is an eight-week program will be offered in June 2026. For more information on the program, please visit drakestate.edu/workforce-development.