Mississippi Silicon Announces Partnership with Tishomingo County Career and TechnicalCenter
Mississippi Silicon LLC (MS), in conjunction with U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation (USBCDC) and Rural Development Partners, is pleased to announce the approval of financial support for the Tishomingo County Career and Technical Center (TCCTC) totaling approximately $122,000. The money provides the core funding for almost $250,000 of improvements to TCCTC’s training facilities. The contributions were approved by the Tishomingo County School Board at its meeting on March 16, 2020.
The funding provided by Mississippi Silicon, USBCDC, and Rural Development Partners will support the advanced skills development of industrial maintenance technicians in Tishomingo County through the purchase of sophisticated and updated equipment and training aids. Additionally, the contributions will increase the recruitment and retention of students through the purchase and maintenance of materials designed to better educate prospective students on the merits of participating in career and technical education (CTE) courses. These purchases include a recruitment booth and supplies, updated educational pamphlets, and more.
“There are skill gaps and workforce training needs in Tishomingo County that need to be addressed. The TCCTC is an excellent training program for young adults seeking promising and rewarding careers that don’t incur student debt. We need to do our part in encouraging the next generation to learn life skills. We are proud to support the TCCTC in helping to train a skilled frontline workforce. USBCDC saw this same need in Burnsville when they invested in us in 2013 and have continued bringing jobs, economic impact, and sustainable development to the community since then. The leadership team at Mississippi Silicon is excited to watch this partnership grow,” said Eddie Boardwine, Chief Operations Officer, Mississippi Silicon.
USBCDC, the tax credit and community investment subsidiary of U.S. Bank, is a New Markets Tax Credit investor in Mississippi Silicon’s metal production facility in Tishomingo County. This contribution supports additional job training in the local community.
“U.S. Bank is focused on closing the gap between people and possibility,” said Reginald Speed, assistant vice president with USBCDC. “Supporting job training efforts in Tishomingo County is a tangible way we can help remove disparities, give everyone the chance to achieve financial stability and have a lasting impact in the community.”
Organizations like Rural Development Partners are bringing an immense social and economic impact to Tishomingo County.
“Rural Development Partners has a strategy to build public-private partnerships that bring both catalytic job growth and workforce development to rural communities and regions nationwide. It takes great partners like Mississippi Silicon and TCCTC to localize and maximize the impact of the New Markets Tax Credit Program and RDP’s accompanying workforce development grant,” said Jonathan Klaassen, Chief Executive Officer, Rural Development Partners.
Skilled trade education and industrial training have long been a top statewide priority, most notably with former governor Phil Bryant’s State Workforce Bill, which paved the way for more state funding toward workforce training. State and county officials continue to emphasize the need for resources to train a quality workforce that encourages a thriving economy.
“We thank Mississippi Silicon and its partners for taking the lead in helping to prepare our workforce for the jobs that are now open in Tishomingo County”, said second district supervisor, Nicky McRae. “Tishomingo County realized years ago that a high school diploma is no longer enough to guarantee a living wage, so the county set up a grant program that will pay the tuition to Northeast Mississippi Community College for qualified graduates of Tishomingo and Belmont High Schools.”
President of the TCCTC board of supervisors, Michael Busby, also offered his thanks to the parties involved and stated “a high school diploma or GED is just the beginning point nowadays for the jobs that exist in today’s global economy. It is ironic that some of the best paying jobs don’t require a college degree but do require on-the-job training or technical training at a community college.”
Students are also provided with education and training around the necessary soft skills to be successful in any occupation. The need for better communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and professional growth training is evident within all industries. This allows students to be better prepared for the demands of the workplace and ultimately become positive, self-confident and dedicated employees.
Tishomingo County Career and Technical Trade Center Director, John-Grady Taylor spoke further on the impact of this contribution, saying “Career and Technical Education (CTE) is often overlooked and downplayed in the education arena. Even with an increased emphasis on workforce training funding for secondary CTE programs is limited and prohibits the purchase of industry standard equipment. This will allow TCCTC to bridge the skills gap by purchasing updated equipment allowing us to train our students using relevant work site simulations that will insure they become the workforce of the future for Tishomingo County. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to working with our partners to make Tishomingo County a wellspring of trained, capable individuals prepared for our advanced workforce.”