I was honored to secure the Republican nomination to be Alabama’s next governor a couple weeks ago.
I am grateful for the trust that Alabamians have put into my campaign and look forward to ushering in the Golden Age of Alabama.
On day 1, my administration’s top priority will be to strengthen our workforce and unleash Alabama’s economic potential.
The state of Alabama has seen explosive growth over the last few years. From Huntsville to Mobile, companies are moving to the Yellowhammer State in droves, bringing with them jobs and opportunities.
U.S. Space Command headquarters returned to Huntsville, the Port of Mobile is making major upgrades in preparation for the economic flood gates to open, Eli Lilly is building a new facility and bringing hundreds of jobs to Huntsville and Limestone County, Fannie Mae is moving to Birmingham, Hadrian is manufacturing submarine parts near Muscle Shoals, and the list goes on.
Thankfully, President Trump is back in office, which means that Alabama is open for business.
To keep up with the demand, we are going to need a workforce that can sustain the economic engines that are accelerating Alabama into its Golden Age.
As governor, my administration will be laser-focused on creating more high-quality education options for students that fit their unique needs and unlock their God-given potential and to prepare them for when they enter the workforce, as well as train the workforce to keep up with the demands of the 21st century.
To achieve our goal, we must first get rid of the woke gender ideology, DEI, and Critical Race Theory curriculum that has infected our schools. Thanks to President Trump’s directive to eliminate DEI in the workplace and to teach kids the essentials of reading, writing, and arithmetic, DEI is practically dead.
However, there remains a small group of woke liberal teachers in our schools and universities, plagued by Trump Derangement Syndrome, who are taking our children hostage and indoctrinating them with the woke mind virus. DEI is all about dividing people and stirring up hatred, which is the exact opposite of what this country is all about. Children should be able to go to school and learn to read, write, and think for themselves—not be indoctrinated by a left-wing agenda.
In addition to eliminating DEI, it is critical to prepare our students to compete in the modern-day workforce, especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
AI has changed the game when it comes to today’s workforce. Every time I talk to school administrators, educators, and businessmen, I ask them what they’re doing to educate their students and employees on how to utilize AI.
I’m encouraged that Alabama’s education and business leaders understand the importance of AI and are making sure our workforce is trained on how to use it. AI is the future. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hit the nail on the head a few years ago when he said that you won’t lose your job to AI—you’ll lose it to your coworker who uses it. We must teach AI. If we don’t, Alabama’s workforce will be left behind.
To further strengthen Alabama’s workforce, we must also recognize that not everyone needs to attend a traditional four-year college. Career and technical education programs like dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and short-term certifications should be recognized as respectable paths for opportunity and should not be treated as second-rate. Over the last 30-40 years, society has overemphasized the need for young people to attend four-year colleges and universities.
The truth is, trade jobs offer a stable, high-paying career to those who have the necessary skills and training.
These types of jobs are in high demand, and we don’t have enough young people backfilling those jobs. I will make sure that we do everything in our power to fill the trade work shortages. And I will continue to advocate for workforce development as a means of increasing opportunities, helping young people find their calling, and spurring economic growth.
Our young people are our greatest asset, and we must do everything we can to make sure they are set up to be successful. I look at this like recruiting – we’re up against every other SEC state and we’ve got to make sure our best and brightest stay right here in Alabama after graduating. To do this, we have to make sure Alabama’s students aren’t just college ready or career ready, but they are life ready.
When I was coaching football, if I didn’t train and equip my players with the tools and knowledge necessary to do their jobs well, how could I expect them to win games?
This same mindset will apply when I’m governor. If we’re not training and equipping the hardworking people of Alabama to be successful in their jobs and to adapt to the challenges in the modern-day workplace, how can we expect our state to flourish?
As your next chief executive officer, I will ensure that Alabama leads the nation in workforce development and provides the rest of the country with a gameplan for how to win.
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees. He is also a candidate for Governor of Alabama in 2026.
