News

JACKSON, Miss. – May 4, 2026 – AccelerateMS is investing in Northwest Mississippi Community College to strengthen the region’s workforce pipeline through a new commercial electrical program and expanding the college’s robotic welding training. The investment enhances training opportunities for both credit and non-credit students at the Batesville Concourse and DeSoto Centers, equipping labs with commercial electrical systems and robotic welding technology. These programs prepare students for modern […]

WEST POINT, Miss. – April 29, 2026 – On the production floor at Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, learning doesn’t stop when a shift begins. Employees are building skills in real time—troubleshooting equipment, working through new challenges, and preparing for more advanced roles. For a group of employees whose work is paired with time in the […]

Hands-on training in welding, carpentry, and electrical work is helping individuals at Leake County Correctional Facility prepare for life after release. CARTHAGE, Miss. — April 2, 2026 – Inside a workshop at the Leake County Regional Correctional Facility, the steady hum of saws blends with laughter and instruction. Groups of students lean over their projects, […]

JACKSON, Miss. – March 11, 2026 – AccelerateMS is supporting an expansion of Health Sciences training capacity at Hinds Community College that will add hundreds of new seats across high-demand healthcare programs and strengthen Mississippi’s healthcare workforce pipeline. The initiative will allow Hinds to add 480 student seats in Health Sciences programs over the next […]

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, […]

  FULTON, Miss. – March 4, 2026 – Walking into the carpentry shop at the Itawamba Career & Technical Center feels less like entering a classroom and more like stepping into a manufacturing facility. Rows of machines, saws, and workbenches are clean and evenly spaced across the floor. At the back of the shop sits one […]

GREENVILLE, Miss. – February 9, 2026 – What started as an opportunity became a turning point for 11 local residents. With no guarantees beyond an interview, participants committed to hours of construction training. Many entered the program after years of working multiple jobs, hoping to find a career they could build with their hands and grow into long-term. Last […]

Why CTE Matters Now In Mississippi, the question is no longer whether career and technical education works—it’s whether the state can afford to overlook it. For years, CTE was often framed as an alternative to a traditional four-year college path. That framing no longer reflects reality. Across Mississippi, CTE is increasingly viewed as a first-choice pathway […]

SENATOBIA, Miss. January 27, 2026 – AccelerateMS, Mississippi’s lead office for workforce development strategy and coordination, announced the successful completion of the first cohort of graduates from a new statewide talent development academy. The Facilitation Academy for Certified Excellence in Training, known as FACET, is designed to strengthen workforce learning across Mississippi by building high-impact facilitation […]

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 […]