Accelerate Mississippi Awards MS Gulf Coast Community College Nearly $1M to Grow Diesel Tech Program

09/24/2021

Accelerate Mississippi, the lead office for workforce development strategy and coordination, awarded Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) with $941,701 to double the capacity of its Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology program from 20 to 40 students each year.

“To maximize economic prospects for Mississippians, we must prioritize and coordinate workforce training opportunities,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “My administration and Accelerate Mississippi are refocusing the state’s resources towards higher impact workforce initiatives, and I’m grateful that Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has stepped up and committed to training more Mississippians for a thriving career in our state.”

Accelerate Mississippi recently identified the need for diesel technicians as a high priority for the state as a whole and invited the state’s community colleges to look for solutions to close the demand gap.

“Accelerate Mississippi’s mission is to get more Mississippians working in career pathways that lead to good paying jobs that are in high demand. We hear weekly from employers across our state that could hire dozens more technicians,” said Ryan Miller, Executive Director of Accelerate Mississippi. “Accelerate Mississippi is proud to partner with MGCCC to tackle this challenge head on in south Mississippi.”

This award will allow for MGCCC to expand capacity in its training program by hiring additional instructors, equipment needed for classes and will cover tuition for enrollees in the program.

“Our college is thrilled to take on this challenge and in return create economic opportunity for residents of the gulf coast,” stated Dr. Mary Graham, President of MGCCC. “We recognize that having a strong state partner in Accelerate Mississippi can result in better outcomes for the people and employers our community colleges serve.”

Accelerate Mississippi was created in 2020 by legislation signed by the Governor.

“I want to commend Dr. Graham & her team for their passion to lift our citizens into jobs that not only pay great wages, but also nobly serve our entire economy by keeping the supply chain up and running,” stated Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann. “I am encouraged to see Mississippi take steps to get better organized and strategic about how we prepare people for the workforce.”