September 8, 2025
JACKSON, Miss — The State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) is calling for stronger alignment between education and workforce in response to two recent data reports – (1) a new analysis of graduate work outcomes from each of Mississippi’s public colleges and universities (2) a report showing educational attainment levels of Mississippi public high school graduates.
As Mississippi is seeing unprecedented levels of new industrial investment, the findings highlight a critical need for policymakers, educators, and families to closely consider how education and degree programs relate to work outcomes and labor market demands.
The newly released reports are Index of Work Outcomes from Mississippi Postsecondary Institution Graduates and Educational Attainment of Public High School Graduates. Both are from the State Longitudinal Data System and prepared by Mississippi State University’s NSPARC.
The SWIB has recommended that the Legislature and educational boards — including the Mississippi Community College Board and the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning — take a closer look at how graduate outcomes should guide policy and spending practices, with an overall goal of improving student work outcomes/earnings, better meeting labor market demands, and increasing return on investment for education spending.
The Board has emphasized that better aligning public education spending with degree or certificate programs more likely to connect to high-wage careers in demand is critical to improving the overall quality of Mississippi’s workforce and accelerating growth in household incomes.
“The most important metric in public education should be student achievement and success in work after they have completed their education,” said Patrick Sullivan, Chairman of the State Workforce Investment Board. “This data clearly shows areas needing attention in public policy and spending practices. Our labor market is oversupplied with workers lacking useful education after high school, oversupplied with degrees like liberal arts that have little value among employers, and undersupplied with degrees and career training in areas that many quality employers are seeking. We challenge the Legislature, IHL Board, and Community College Board to consider policy changes and spending practices that could result in getting more of our students into high-paying educational pipelines demanded in our growing labor market. That’s how we can be more successful in public education. In doing this, everyone wins.”
For parents and students at all stages of planning, this report offers important insights. By making these outcomes visible, SWIB hopes to empower families to make informed decisions about educational pathways after high school. The goal is to ensure that more students pursue educational programs more likely to connect them to quality, in-demand jobs and careers in Mississippi.
By better aligning educational programs with workforce needs, the state can be a national leader in this area, strengthen its economy, ensure taxpayer dollars are better directed toward high-value outcomes, and increase household incomes in all Mississippi communities.
Read the reports and learn more about SWIB at https://acceleratems.org/swib/.
Index of Work Outcomes from MS Postsecondary Institution Graduates
Educational Attainment of Public High School Graduates
About SWIB
The State Workforce Investment Board is created by state law to be the business-based board to monitor the state’s workforce development system and make recommendations on strategies to improve workforce outcomes in the state.
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