Graduates from Calhoun Community College's emergency medical technician and paramedic program recently exceeded state and national averages on certification exams and are now ranked among the best in the county.

The National Registry Examination group, which administers the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians Exam - the national licensure exam for EMTs and paramedics - found that CCC's emergency programs rate significantly higher than state and national averages.

"These very impressive passage rates posted by our graduates demonstrate the excellence of our program, the dedication of our students and the hard work and commitment of our faculty," Bret McGil, dean of Calhoun's Health Science Division, told The Huntsville Times.

Overall, 100 percent of the college's paramedic students passed the exam, exceeding the 70 percent of students throughout Alabama and 75 percent of students throughout the nation who passed. Of the EMT students at CCC, 96 percent passed, compared to 74 percent throughout the state and 70 percent nationwide.

There are many opportunities in Alabama and throughout the country for EMTs and paramedics, who can work in local fire departments, hospitals, rescue squads, insurance companies and local physician's offices. Local companies such as Toyota, International Paper and Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant also employ these workers.

EMTs are skilled in providing basic life support to all patients, whether in a trauma, cardiac or medical condition. Paramedics, on the other hand, are the highest level of pre-hospital care and are responsible for administering medications and performing high-level skills such as IVs, intubation and defibrillation.

About $49 million in federal stimulus funds slated for research have helped create about 53 full-time jobs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school expects to create hundreds of research jobs by the beginning of next year, according to an article by the Birmingham Business Journal.

The added positions are a welcome asset to UAB, which saw its state funding decrease by $95 million from last year, causing the schools' health system to cut 245 jobs during June. While stimulus funding won't fully offset the impact of state budget cuts, the money will allow UAB to sustain and expand some of its research operations.

Earlier this year, UAB researchers submitted 500 applications for National Institutes of Health stimulus fund grants. So far, the school has received a total of 142 ARRA grants.

That funding includes four core support grants for UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center totaling $2.4 million, a grant for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science totaling $981,624 and a grant for the Diabetes Research and Training Center totaling $786,000.

Other firms throughout Birmingham are still awaiting news on whether or not they will be receiving ARRA funding for research initiatives. Discovery BioMed Inc., a biotech startup, applied for more than $5 million in funding, which the company would use to develop and commercialize drugs, as well as hire two full-time scientists and one business development employee.

The Birmingham area could benefit from the additional jobs, as the local economy has continued to lose workers as of late.

During September, the Birmingham-Hoover area saw its unemployment rate remain flat at 10.2 percent, following an increase from 9.9 percent during August. The current rate was slightly higher than the national unemployment rate at the time of 9.8 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 506,400 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 508,500 workers during August and a 3.7 percent decrease from last year.

During September, the Birmingham-Hoover area saw its unemployment rate stay even at 10.2 percent, which is slightly higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. The area hasn't seen its unemployment rate decrease since July, when it went from 10.1 percent to 9.9 percent.

The area had a total non-farm employment of 506,400 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 508,500 workers during August and a 3.7 percent decrease from last year.

Despite Birmingham's bleak employment situation, the area has a lot to offer when it comes to finding a job.

Based on the area's competitive salary rates and low living expenses, Birmingham has often been rated as one of the country's best places to work and earn a living. In 2006, Salary.com named Birmingham second in the nation for building personal net worth based on local salary rates, living expenses and unemployment rates. That same year, Bizjournals.com found the city's combined personal income to be $48.1 billion.

The State of Alabama is home to four Fortune 500 companies, all of which are located in Birmingham. Those companies include: Regions Financial, Vulcan Materials, Protective Life and HealthSouth.

Birmingham has a strong healthcare industry, which includes healthcare services provider HealthSouth. The University of Alabama at Birmingham, along with the connected hospital, is the largest employer in Birmingham and all of Alabama with about 20,000 employees.

The steel industry still has a strong presence in Birmingham, with local companies making about $100 million worth of investments and expansions in the area. U.S. Steel, McWane and Nucor - all major players in the steel industry - have big presences in Birmingham.

Along with Regions Financial, Birmingham also is home to Compass Bancshares, making the city a leading banking center. Birmingham also serves as one of the regional headquarters of Wachovia.

The city is home to Buffalo Rock, a major bottler for Pepsi, and a plant for Coca-Cola Bottling Company United. Birmingham also has strong presences from companies in the telecommunications, insurance, construction, engineering and dairy industries.

Statewide, Alabama saw its unemployment rate increase from 10.3 percent to 10.7 percent during September, which is higher than the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. The state hasn't seen its unemployment rate decrease since September 2007, when it went from 3.6 percent to 3.5 percent.

Alabama had a total non-farm employment of 1,894,500 workers during September, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is down from 1,898,700 workers during August and a 4.7 percent decrease from last year.

While the September unemployment rate for the Birmingham-Hoover area has not yet been released, the BLS has reported the area had a total non-farm employment of 506,400 workers for the month, which is down from 508,500 workers during August and a 3.7 percent decrease from last year.

Three industries saw an increase in employment on a month-to-month basis, including: construction by 200 jobs, professional and business services by 200 jobs and government by 1,400 jobs. The mining and logging and information industries employed the same number of workers during August and September, with 3,100 jobs and 10,700 jobs, respectively.

No industries added jobs on a yearly basis. The education and health services industry, which usually sees an increase in jobs, employed 65,500 workers during September, the same as during last year. The construction industry took the biggest hit when compared to last year, seeing an 11.2 percent decrease in jobs.

Other industries that saw an over-the-year decrease in employment include:

• mining and logging by 3.1 percent
• manufacturing by 8.3 percent
• trade, transportation and utilities by 3 percent
• information by 2.7 percent
• financial activities by 1.5 percent
• professional and business services by 6.6 percent
• leisure and hospitality by 2.3 percent
• other services by 2.1 percent
• government by 2.6 percent