SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong made the short trip across town on Tuesday, April 7, to help J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College mark its 65th anniversary — a milestone for North Alabama’s only historically Black two-year college and a cornerstone institution in Huntsville’s workforce pipeline. The visit took place at the Leidos Advanced Training Center on Drake State’s campus, a hands-on facility that has become a signature example of how the college connects classroom instruction to real industry demand.
Strong toured classrooms and labs where students train for careers in advanced manufacturing, welding, aviation maintenance, mechatronics, computer science, and health sciences. He spoke with faculty, students, and industry partners, asked pointed questions about equipment and curriculum, and then delivered remarks highlighting Drake State’s role in fueling Huntsville’s aerospace, defense, and technology economy.
“Drake State is at the forefront of building Alabama’s next generation of skilled workers,” Strong said, emphasizing the college’s contribution to workforce development and its partnerships with employers like Leidos, Boeing, and regional manufacturers. The congressman praised Drake State graduates who step directly into high-wage jobs at Redstone Arsenal and along Research Park, often without the student debt that follows many four-year graduates into the workforce.
Drake State leaders used the anniversary moment to highlight 65 years of educating students who might otherwise have been shut out of higher education — first-generation college students, working parents, veterans, and career-changers. The college has also expanded short-term credential programs so adults can retrain quickly as industries evolve, a critical need in a region where defense contracts, automotive suppliers, and new data-center investments are reshaping what employers want from entry-level workers.
Rep. Strong also used the visit to thank the Drake State team for its work mentoring students and building partnerships with local high schools, including dual-enrollment programs that allow teenagers to earn college credit — and in some cases a credential — before they ever walk across a high-school graduation stage. Those partnerships, he noted, are precisely the kind of long-term investment that keeps North Alabama’s growth from outrunning its talent pipeline.
College leaders and alumni on hand reminded the congressman that Drake State’s 65-year story is also a civil-rights story — a Huntsville institution founded to open doors for African American students when so many were still closed, and one that continues to serve as a practical launchpad for Black families seeking economic mobility today. Alumni shared testimonies of parents and grandparents who started at Drake State and went on to long careers at Redstone, NASA, and local industry.
For Speakin’ Out News readers, Drake State remains one of the most accessible on-ramps to the middle class in North Alabama, with tuition that stays well below most four-year universities and financial aid that often covers the rest. Prospective students, employers, and community partners are encouraged to contact the college to learn more about its programs, scholarships, and 65th-anniversary events taking place throughout the year.