MERIDIAN, Miss. – January 14, 2026 – When leadership teams from Meridian Footwear and Bloom, a sustainable materials manufacturer, met with the Lauderdale County School District, the goal was simple: create opportunities that help students see where creativity and careers intersect. What followed was a project designed to move learning beyond the classroom and into […]
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Engineering program connects Neshoba County students to real-world skills
PHILADELPHIA, Miss. – January 13, 2026 – Inside an engineering lab at Neshoba Central High School, students aren’t just learning formulas — they’re designing, building, testing, and discovering what’s possible. From 3D printing and robotics to electrical systems and automation, hands-on learning is helping students connect classroom concepts to real-world applications and future opportunities. Supported […]
Hands-on Ag Program Gives Lawrence County Students Skills for Life
MONTICELLO, Miss. – December 17, 2025 – The Lawrence County Technology and Career Center agriculture program is designed to give students practical skills and a clearer view of careers tied to agriculture — from welding and fabrication to plant science and technology-driven work. Agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) adviser Carla Lawrence said […]
AccelerateMS Announces Integrated High School Equivalency and Priority Occupations Program Awardees to Strengthen Mississippi’s Workforce
JACKSON, Miss. – December 8, 2025 – AccelerateMS, Mississippi’s leading office for workforce development strategy and coordination, has awarded funding to nine training providers to launch and expand basic skills training programs that prepare adults for high school equivalency while equipping them with the workforce skills needed for high-demand jobs. The following training providers have […]
AccelerateMS Welcomes Jackie Smith as Workforce Project Manager
Beunkka Davis, Communications Specialist JACKSON, Miss. — December 4, 2025 – AccelerateMS, Mississippi’s leading office for workforce development strategy and coordination, is strengthening its statewide grants management capacity with the addition of Jackie Smith as Workforce Project Manager, Grants Management. Smith brings more than two decades of experience leading statewide, grant-funded, and workforce-focused projects, with […]
I2PA Graduate Finds Career Momentum Through Mississippi Trades Training
CLINTON, Miss. — December 2, 2025 – A welding class was all it took to redirect Rose Sanchez’s career plans. What began as curiosity grew into a pathway toward Mississippi’s fast-expanding skilled trades workforce. Sanchez, a native of Puerto Rico, graduated from the Amazon Web Services Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship (I2PA) program in September. Since then, […]
Navigator Program Prepares More Nurses for Mississippi
Beunkka Davis, Communications Specialist SENATOBIA, Miss – November 25, 2025 – When nursing student Zylexus Watson walked into nurse navigator Emily Tristeza’s office at Northwest Mississippi Community College, she often arrived carrying more than her textbooks. As a young mother of two, balancing coursework, childcare, and financial strain, she sometimes came in overwhelmed. But she […]
AccelerateMS Convenes ATLAS Industry Roundtables to Strengthen Mississippi’s Workforce Pipeline
JACKSON, Miss. — November 24, 2025 – Leaders from education, industry, and workforce development across Mississippi gathered this fall for a series of ATLAS Industry Roundtable meetings designed to align the state’s talent pipeline with employer needs and emerging career pathways. Hosted by the Mississippi Business Alliance in partnership with AccelerateMS, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, […]
Gulf States Strengthen Collaboration to Build the Region’s Defense Workforce
BILOXI, Miss. — Regional industry and workforce leaders from Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana came together on Thursday, November 6, at William Carey University’s Traditions Campus in Biloxi for the 2nd Annual Gulf Coast Defense Industrial Base Workforce Summit, reaffirming their shared commitment to building a stronger, more unified defense workforce pipeline across the Gulf Coast. […]
AccelerateMS and Hinds Community College Forge Model Workforce Partnership to Power Mississippi’s Infrastructure Growth
JACKSON, Miss. – Nov. 7, 2025 – AccelerateMS, Mississippi’s lead office for workforce development strategy and coordination, and Hinds Community College, on Friday, established a strategic partnership designed to set a new statewide standard for how Mississippi supports new, expanding, and existing industries. The announcement, held at the Hinds Jackson Campus, was attended by local […]