EDUCATION
Jobs of the Future Ed Farm prepares all ages for success in the workforce
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ED FARM
A teacher fellow instructs her student during Oxmoor’s STEAM Day. BY LAUREN H. DOWDLE
Students take driver’s education in school to learn how to drive. Others may take classes at the trade school to learn specialized skills. Anything students can do to prepare for the workforce is a good opportunity. After seeing the findings from a local market report, city leaders began realizing the growing need for more students and adults to learn technical skills if Birmingham was to be successful in the future. And that led to the creation of Ed Farm. Short for Education Farm, Ed Farm offers opportunities for children, college students, and adults to learn new skills that will help them now and in the future. Waymond Jackson came on as CEO last spring, which is when the nonprofit officially got its start. He says the idea for Ed Farm grew from the Birmingham community and leaders. A local group then travelled to Chicago to meet with Apple to explain the need the city had, including the types of jobs and training Birmingham would need in the next decade. 8 Bham Family May 2021
Leaders had recently completed a market report, so they knew the exact types of jobs and training the city needed — mainly ones focused on people having a higher level of digital skills, like coding. “We wanted to be in control of how we shaped the new generation of leaders for the workforce. For the economy to grow, we have to teach those skills at an early level,” Jackson says. “The goal was to provide the traditionally underserved the training and tools they needed to get high-quality, high-paying jobs.” A small group continued to have conversations with Apple about creating a deeper level of involvement for work in Birmingham, which is how the vision for Ed Farm came to light. “The ability to learn to code or to acquire digital skills is 21st Century learning,” Jackson says. “It’s the entry-level learning of what you need to get your foot in the door. It’s critical with talking about jobs of the future. We want everyone to have access to those skills — not just those in affluent positions.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
