GAUTIER, Miss. – March 6, 2026 – A welding competition on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is helping connect students with high-demand careers in the maritime and manufacturing industries while highlighting the growing need for skilled trades workers across the state.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County campus recently hosted the Project MFG Mississippi Maritime Welding Competition, bringing together high school and community college students to test their skills in real-world welding challenges.
The event featured two divisions: 33 high school welding students and 12 MGCCC collegiate welding students. Participants completed hands-on welding projects designed to reflect the technical demands of the maritime industry.
Dr. Emma Miller, dean of teaching and learning at MGCCC’s Jackson County campus, said the competition gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their skills while gaining exposure to potential employers.
“Welding is a great career. It’s a high-paying career,” Miller said. “These folks are going to land a job as soon as they graduate and be able to raise a family and stay local if they choose to.”
The competition is part of Project MFG, a national workforce development initiative that promotes careers in skilled trades and manufacturing. The organization hosts competitions across the country to help address a growing shortage of skilled workers.
Dan Gazzano, chief operating officer of Project MFG, said welding remains one of the most critical trades for industries like shipbuilding.
“The need for skilled trades, particularly welding in the shipbuilding industry, is huge,” Gazzano said. “These regional solutions around where shipbuilding exists are extremely important.”
Students competing in the regional event have a chance to advance to national finals hosted by Project MFG in San Diego, where competitors will take on more complex projects and compete for prize money.
Beyond prizes and national recognition, industry leaders say the competitions also serve as an important recruiting pipeline for the next generation of skilled workers.
The competition is supported by industry partners, including Ingalls Shipbuilding and Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, two major employers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Doug Hudson, manager of workforce training at Ingalls Shipbuilding, said events like the welding competition help companies engage students early and encourage them to pursue careers in the field.
“It promotes welding for these high school kids as well as technical school kids,” Hudson said. “It provides motivation to become experts in their craft and compete in these competitions.”
Hudson said the competition also gives employers an opportunity to introduce themselves to students who may one day join their workforce.
“These are our potential employees in the future,” he said. “They’re from this region, and generally that’s where the bulk of our employment comes from.”
Shawn Devoll, technical and training superintendent at Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, said he sees firsthand how training in the skilled trades can open doors to long-term careers.
Devoll said he started his own career in a vocational welding program before advancing in the shipbuilding industry.
“I came from a vocational school background where I learned how to weld,” Devoll said. “It advanced me into my career to be able to do the things that I do in shipbuilding.”
He said increasing interest in trades like welding is essential as industries across the country continue expanding.
“At this time in shipbuilding, we need more people to get involved in crafts,” Devoll said. “We need to be able to push trades.”
Organizers say events like the welding competition not only showcase students’ talent but also highlight the critical role skilled trades play in supporting Mississippi’s economy and workforce pipeline.
About AccelerateMS
AccelerateMS supports the people and businesses of Mississippi by creating and implementing workforce strategies that link individuals to transformative, high-paying careers. Through strong partnerships and effective grants management, the organization promotes sustained individual, community, and statewide economic growth.
