Central Six Alabama Works

What Central Six Alabama Works does

Central Six Alabama Works is a nonprofit regional workforce development council headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, operating across six counties (Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker) and founded in 2013. The organization connects employers facing labor shortages and skills gaps with job seekers and training providers, operating through industry sector partnership clusters in Healthcare, Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Construction. Its employer base includes more than 40 active manufacturing industry partners alongside healthcare systems, IT firms, and construction contractors, while its beneficiary base consists of job seekers navigating career pathways into healthcare, advanced manufacturing, IT, and construction careers.

The organization's core service offerings include case management with Employment Pathway Plan creation and up to six months of post-placement follow-up, training connection services routed to community colleges (Bevill State, Jefferson State, Lawson State, Wallace State) and AIDT, job placement through industry cluster partners, the Ready-to-Work program, leadership and management classes (including the 2025 Leadership Class and county-specific skills classes priced at $50 per participant), and apprenticeship programs in welding, machining, industrial maintenance, and software development. Central Six developed Alabama's first Software Development Registered Apprenticeship Program in early 2019 in partnership with Innovate Birmingham. The technology surface is service-oriented rather than productized: a WordPress website, a WooCommerce-styled events/catalog page, and integration with the Alabama Works job-bank portal, with no disclosed proprietary software platform, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Central Six is funded primarily through public-sector sources rather than commercial revenue, including access to Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding via its partnership with the Central Alabama Partnership Training and Employment (CAPTE) provider, state workforce funding through AIDT and the Alabama Community College System, and federal grants. The most significant recent capital signal is a $10.8 million Good Jobs grant awarded in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to the City of Birmingham, with Central Six serving as implementation partner to train 1,000 jobseekers for healthcare positions. The organization is led by Executive Director Kristen Holder with a staff of approximately 8 program managers and case workers.

Name

Central Six Alabama Works

Legal name

Central Six Alabama Works

Website

https://centralsix.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Central Six Alabama Works is a nonprofit regional workforce development council serving six Alabama counties, operating healthcare, manufacturing, IT, and construction industry sector partnerships that connect job seekers with employers, training providers, and apprenticeship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer-Led Workforce Partnerships & Sector Strategies (EDAAAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Workforce Development Programs (WIOA/One-Stop Career Centers) (EDAAAOAA), Workforce & Career Transition Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAC)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Job placement programs
• Career pathway training
• Apprenticeship programs
• Industry sector partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Workforce Development Funding: Central Six connects clients to workforce funding resources through agreements with the local Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) provider (Central Alabama Partnership Training and Employment) and local Career Centers. They also manage grant-funded programs like the $10.8 million Good Jobs grant.
2. Training Program Fees: Leadership and skills training classes sold at $50 per participant, such as the Chilton County Leadership Skills 1 Class.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Central Six Alabama Works is a nonprofit regional workforce development council that connects employers, job seekers, and training providers through industry sector partnerships in healthcare, manufacturing, IT, and construction. It delivers workforce case management, career pathway planning, job placement, apprenticeship sponsorship, and grant-funded training programs across six Alabama counties.

Product overview

Central Six Alabama Works! is a workforce development organization operating as a single integrated service platform rather than a modular software product. The organization coordinates workforce training and placement services across six counties (Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker) in Alabama. The core offerings include leadership development classes (Central Six Leadership Classes, including the 2025 Leadership Class and county-specific skills classes like the Chilton County Leadership Skills 1 Class), industry sector partnerships in Healthcare, Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Construction, the Good Jobs Program for healthcare workforce training, and direct services including Case Management, Connect to Training, Job Placement, and the Ready-to-Work Program. These services work together to create pathways from training through employment, connecting job seekers with employers through industry-driven partnerships and educational institution collaborations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Central Six Leadership Classes

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000 jobseekers to be trained for healthcare careers through Good Jobs program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Onin GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Onin Group to launch the regional High School Ready to Work program, creating a talent pipeline of recent high school graduates into entry-level careers. Onin Group collaborates on workforce development initiatives.
• Innovate BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Innovate Birmingham's Birmingham Tech Council to address IT workforce shortage. Jointly launched the first Software Development Registered Apprenticeship Program in Alabama and developed the Birmingham Data Analytics Bootcamp.
• Birmingham Region Health Partnership (BRHP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare workforce training initiative partnership funded by $10.8M EDA Good Jobs grant. Central Six serves as implementation partner to train 1,000 jobseekers for healthcare positions in the Birmingham region.
• Central Alabama Partnership Training and Employment (CAPTE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal WIOA provider providing workforce funding resources. Employers and job seekers access federal training dollars through this partnership to offset new hire costs and support training programs.
• Jefferson State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelding apprenticeship program sponsor. One of four community colleges in the Central Six service area providing workforce training.
• Lawson State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelding and Machinist apprenticeship program sponsor. Recognized as Top 50 Community College and Champion of Change by Obama Administration.
• Bevill State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partner serving the seven-county northwestern Alabama region with academic transfer and career technical programs.
• Wallace State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAchieving the Dream Leader College and three-time Aspen Prize nominee. Serves as partner in workforce development initiatives with system-wide economic impact.
• AIDT/Alabama Workforce Training CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState workforce training provider offering construction and advanced manufacturing training classes as part of the education partnership network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit focused on workforce and education transformation, frequently involved as a technical-assistance partner to regional workforce boards and sector partnerships; comparable on sector-strategy methodology and grant-funded operating model.

Direct peers

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free tech workforce training and apprenticeship pathways; directly comparable to Central Six's IT sector partnership and software development registered apprenticeship model.
• San Diego Workforce Partnership: Regional nonprofit workforce development board running sector-based employer partnerships and training programs; highly comparable structural and operational model to Central Six but at larger scale.
• Year Up: National nonprofit providing workforce training, apprenticeships, and career placement for young adults; comparable business model (employer-funded training, sector partnerships, placement-focused outcomes) at much larger scale.
• Innovate Birmingham: Birmingham-based nonprofit focused on IT workforce development through the Birmingham Tech Council and Birmingham Data Analytics Bootcamp; a direct operational partner of Central Six and the most overlapping peer on tech apprenticeships and sector-partnership delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Large national nonprofit operating job training and placement programs across the U.S.; comparable mission and funder profile but broader scope, less sector-specialized than Central Six.

Regional players

• AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training): Alabama's state-funded workforce training provider offering construction and advanced manufacturing classes; directly comparable because it sits in Central Six's referral network while competing for the same employer training relationships in the region.
• Birmingham Business Alliance: Regional economic development organization for the Birmingham region; comparable as a regional convener of employers and economic stakeholders, with overlapping but broader mandate than Central Six's workforce focus.
• AlabamaWorks!: The statewide Alabama workforce development network and jobs portal; directly comparable as the parent ecosystem within which Central Six operates as a regional council, providing WIOA-aligned career services.

Others

• National Skills Coalition: National policy and advocacy organization for workforce development and skills training; adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same federally funded workforce ecosystem as Central Six.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/central6alworks
• Facebookfacebook.com/centralsixalabamaworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Six Alabama Works