 As new businesses and industries develop in an area, the training needs of existing employees are often overlooked for those of the new employees. A new training program that will upgrade the skills of the employees of existing industries was announced by the Mississippi Corridor Consortium (MCC) at a press conference in Tupelo on Dec. 3.
The Existing Industry Training Program is designed to help industries in north Mississippi provide high-impact training for current employees. The $200,000 grant will enable existing industries to take advantage of advanced training by offering free training for their employees at the community colleges which serve their district.
Only current employees of a company within the MCC area, which includes Northwest Mississippi Community College, Itawamba Community College, East Mississippi Community College and Northeast Mississippi Community Colleges, are eligible to participate. David Bledsoe, Northwest director of Workforce Development/WIA and Community Services, noted that employees in seven of the counties of Northwest’s district are eligible to participate in the program.
“The seven counties serviced by Northwest that are part of The Mississippi Partnership Local Workforce Investment Area’s 27 counties are Benton, Marshall, DeSoto, Tate, Lafayette, Calhoun and Yalobusha. Employees in those counties of our district can take advantage of this additional workforce funding to help offset to cost of training,” Bledsoe said.
Through the program, all costs associated with the existing industry training program classes will be covered through federal incumbent worker training funds through the Workforce Investment Act, manufacturing Extension Partnership funds, and Workforce Enhancement Training funds through the Mississippi State Board for Community and Junior Colleges. The partnership also includes the Three Rivers Planning and Development District, Inc. and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Mississippi.
In order to take advantage of the training offered, employers must register their employees. Class offerings include Electrical I and II, Mechanical Drives, Pneumatics, RS Logix, Panel View/Panel Builder, Allen Bradley PLC, Welding, Workplace Design, Lean Manufacturing 101, Avoiding Musculoskeletal Disorders, Ken Blanchard Situational Leadership, Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and Speed of Trust Leadership Program, Lean Office, Manufacturing Skills Basic Certification course and OSHA 10 and 30 hour certification.
The classes begin in January. Course offerings are geared toward high cost training that provides immediate skill enhancement to the student and a fast return on investment to the employer. Partners of the MCC have pooled their resources and expertise to make their vision of cutting-edge education and training a reality.
“Northwest is pleased to join with our sister institutions—East, Northeast, and ICC in the Mississippi Corridor Consortium to provide job-training opportunities for the citizens of North Mississippi.
Northwest has been actively involved throughout our district since joining the Consortium two years ago,” said Dr. Gary Lee Spears, president of Northwest.
Besides Bledsoe, Northwest was represented by Joe Broadway, executive assistant to the president and district dean of Career-Technical Education.
For more information on the Existing Industry Training Program call Bledsoe at 662-562-3233 or e-mail mdbledsoe@northwestms.edu. |
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