Cougar Check-in with Madix Inc. shows recent Coosa Career Tech students are prepared to succeed

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Special to the News

Rewind to April 2023 at Coosa County Career Tech Center and you would see students and staff preparing for the hiring fair where 51 students in their junior and senior years completed job applications, resumes and interviews with area business leaders.

In May, 27 of those students received job offers from local businesses and industries for both part-time summer employment and for full-time permanent positions.

Leading the way with a total of 10 offers was Madix Inc. who offered full-time positions to recent graduates Quin Gilbert, Ry Gilbert, Mariah Corbin, and Aaliyah Murray. Quin and Ry elected to accept full-time employment at Madix’s Eclectic site, while Mariah and Aaliyah have accepted employment in Goodwater while they await starting college.

Upcoming 2024 seniors, Keland Edwards, Tyreek Epps, Cornelious Braswell, Heath Joiner, and Devin Sweet were offered positions for part-time summer employment in Goodwater, which will also give them the opportunity to continue their part-time employment as seniors if they maintain enrollment in Career and Technical Education and have the option to move into full-time positions after graduation in May 2024 if they choose.

Madix Inc. has been a longtime supporter of Coosa County schools, and with the re-opening of the CTE Center last August, expanded their support through serving as an advisory board member to also participating in the hiring event in April, proving they put the words of their vision statement, “Growing a business that improves the lives of people and our communities – and fulfills the needs of our customers.” into action.

The continual improvement and personal development extends not only to full-time employees, but to Coosa’s CTE students, as well. Pictured you can see that even the students who are part-time employees were given the same orientation training that all employees receive and later on were selected to participate in Madix’s Lean Manufacturing training, which is a globally recognized methodology that focuses on reducing waste and maximizing productivity.

Also pictured is Quin Gilbert welding on the shelf line at the Eclectic location that he posted on social media with the caption, “A lot of people said I wouldn’t do what I dream after high school, but I’m just showing y’all actions speak louder than words!”

The picture was taken by Quin’s twin brother, Ry Gilbert, who is also working on the shelf line for Madix. Quin and Ry can be seen below standing in front of some of the finished units that Madix produces on a recent follow-up visit with Coosa’s CTE and Workforce Development Director Hester Hamby, where they both told Hamby they were enjoying the work they were doing and the paycheck that comes with it.

Both Gilberts said they work hard for what they earn, but are enjoying the training they are receiving from their co-workers and Madix leadership and are looking forward to seeing how their careers progress with Madix in the future.

Angel Buckner, who has been supervising and training the part-time Coosa students, has been very complimentary of these students, noting that they get along well with others and have been engaged in the training they have been given.

Because of age-related labor laws, some of the students are not yet able to fill certain positions; however, they have been trained on a variety of jobs throughout the summer so they will know more about how the facility functions and where they might fit in the future if they choose to accept full-time employment after high school and can continue employment while earning high school credit in the upcoming school year if their schedules allow.