Key Facts

• Hoover is the second largest city in the 1.1-million person Birmingham-Hoover Metro Area. In just over 50 years, Hoover has become the sixth largest city in Alabama with over 92,000 persons and it continues to grow.
• The Metro Area has a civilian labor force of 550,000+ persons.
• Hoover neighbors the Tuscaloosa Metro Area and its population of over 235,000 persons.  
• More than 57% of Hoover citizens over the age of 25 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Over 44,000 persons commute into Hoover daily for work.

Transitioning Veterans

Nearly 8,000 veterans transition to employment each year from Alabama’s military bases. Alabama’s veterans serve as a rich pool of talent, providing skillsets and credentials, such as security clearances, demanded by government agencies and contractors.

Regional Four-Year Colleges

The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area is home to numerous colleges and universities, providing a talent pipeline for employers seeking workers with undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees:

• The University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Birmingham-Southern College
• Samford University
• Miles College, a historically black college (HBCU)
• Faulkner University

Additionally, The University of Alabama is located less than an hour from Hoover.  

Alabama is home to numerous public and private colleges and universities, providing access to an even broader talent pool. See a map of Alabama’s four-year institutions, including those immediately serving Hoover. 

Regional Two-Year Colleges

Hoover is immediately served by two community colleges:

• Jefferson State Community College
• Lawson State Community College, a historically black college (HBCU)

Many more two-year institutions are in close proximity to Hoover, and work as a network across Alabama. Employer/educational alliances are very important to each of these institutions, and they offer educational and training programs that lead immediately into the workplace or provide the basis for further higher education. See a map of all of Alabama’s two-year colleges, to explore the talent pipeline that can serve Hoover businesses.

Riverchase Career Connection Center

Hoover's Riverchase Career Connection Center provides high school students with advanced career training opportunities. Hoover City Schools places a great emphasis on college and career readiness. This state-of-the-art facility houses five anchor programs:

• Building Science Academy (construction, electrical, HVAC and welding)
• Cyber Innovation Academy (programming, network administration, cyber security)
• Culinary Arts and Hospitality Academy (cooking, serving, event management)
• Fire and Emergency Services Academy (firefighting, emergency medical assistance)
• Health Science Academy (nursing, pharmacy and home health care)

Other programs are planned for the future.  These include automotive technology, biotechnology, heavy equipment, and more.

AIDT

AIDT, an independent agency under the supervision and oversight of Alabama's Secretary of Commerce, encourages economic development through job-specific training. Training services are offered in many areas, at no cost, to new and expanding businesses throughout the State. AIDT was established to build a healthy state economy by recruiting and training a skilled workforce to attract new industries to the state and to expand existing industries. Job-specific pre-employment and on-the-job training programs are provided. The program provides a full range of customized technical training programs that are offered at no cost to employers and to the trainees.  Leadership training programs are also available.  In addition to training,  AIDT offers services including trainee recruitment and screening, safety assistance, industrial maintenance assessments and continuous improvement/process improvement assessments.  Training is conducted by AIDT staff or contracted instructors and delivered through classrooms or 38 Mobile Training Units (MTUs) customized to meet specific company needs.  MTUs go directly to the employer site to provide classroom and hands-on training.