Workforce Partnership Offers Hands-On Technical Training

For over a year, Brodie Whirley, a student at Southern Union State Community College, has been learning the ins and outs of maintaining a hospital. He’s done so by being enrolled in Southern Union’s FAME Advanced Manufacturing Technician Program. 

Each day, he applies skills and knowledge gained from his classes under the mentorship of East Alabama Medical Center Maintenance staff to troubleshoot and find solutions to technical problems, ensuring equipment works properly for patients and staff. 

“Through this program I’ve learned a lot of different things about how a hospital runs,” Whirley said. "I’ve worked on lots of different things like the call systems that nurses use, the patient beds and other areas within the hospital.”

FAME, which stands for Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, is a two-year program that pairs specialized classroom curriculum with on-the-job training to ensure workers are equipped with the skills and experience needed to succeed upon graduation. 

Nationwide, the need for skilled trade professionals has surged as industries face a wave of retirements and rapid technological advancements, making programs like FAME essential for building a future-ready workforce.

As a partner organization for Southern Union’s FAME program, East Alabama Health provides paid, practical experience maintaining a health system for students pursuing a technical degree. 

Through the program, Whirley has worked directly on projects that will ensure patients have access to care, including the ICU expansion at East Alabama Medical Center. 

“Right now, I have been working on the 30 beds in the new ICU,” Whirley said. “I think it’s been pretty cool to test each bed and test the power to make sure they are good for patients to use once the unit opens. It’s been interesting to watch the new unit get built and the progress that has been made.”

A Prattville native, he enrolled in the FAME program with the goal of gaining an education while avoiding unnecessary student loans. The opportunity to work for East Alabama Health has allowed him not only to earn a paycheck but also to receive unmatched mentorship and guidance early in his career. 

“Being able to put myself through college and get a degree has been a great benefit,” Whirley said. “It was tough when I first started, but I have learned a lot. The guys in the shop have taught me a lot about the job and I have made some good friends.”

In his role, Whirley has been able to explore aspects of maintenance that are interesting to him such as electrical work. 

“I’ve been able to follow the electricians and become more familiar with that side of the trade,” he said. “It’s been the most interesting to me, and since I don’t have as much knowledge about that side as I would like to have, I am trying to learn as much as I can from them.”

East Alabama Health’s partnership with Southern Union  reflects a shared commitment to preparing the next generation of technical professionals. By combining classroom learning with real-world experience, programs like FAME not only strengthen the local workforce but also ensure that critical healthcare systems remain reliable for the communities they serve.

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About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital that is currently under construction to add 30 critical care beds. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,800 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.