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When our Natchez Renewal began in 2020, one of our top priorities was to get workforce development moving in Natchez and Adams County.

We already had some great things going but organization and teamwork were lacking – and there were quite a few holes to fill. We quickly put together a Workforce Development Taskforce, brought in volunteers from all areas of our community, and began developing a strategy for Workforce Renewal.

Since that time much has happened. We partnered with the Natchez Adams School DIstrict and Adams County Board of Supervisors to create a Department of Workforce Development. We also enlisted support from Copiah Lincoln Community College, Alcorn State University, The Fallin Center at Natchez High School, and the WIN Jobs Center. We coordinated efforts for employer outreach with Natchez Inc. and the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce. And we made contact and built partnerships with numerous employers, not just in Natchez, but across the Miss-Lou and Southwest Mississippi.

Words cannot express my appreciation to our Workforce Development Director Tuwanna Williams and our Program Coordinator Lakitsha Rogers. They have worked miracles. In just the last couple of years, they have secured close to $1 million in grants for Natchez-Adams County. We now have career coaches in our schools. A Delta Regional grant has helped us get new programs off the ground. And the momentum is building.

This week, we cut the ribbon on the Miss-Lou Coding Academy, one of only five branches of the Mississippi Coding Academy, now offering free IT training to area residents at Co-Lin’s Natchez Campus. This training, completely free of charge, is open to all.

Founded in 2017, the Mississippi Coding Academy, under the leadership of Natchez native Bob Buseck, has graduated more than 300 students who have gone into lucrative careers earning from $50k per year up to more than $100k. We now have this free program in Natchez!

Also this week, we launched “Workforce 360: Code to Career,” a free self-paced IT course offering soft skills training and Microsoft Office proficiency – a 3-month prerequisite to the six month coding program. And training is now, for the first time, being offered remotely. Students can take advantage of training from home.

Next month, we will launch our Miss-Lou Building Trades Electrical Program, starting March 3 and including five 8-week sessions. The schedule will run mornings, 9 a.m. to noon and evenings, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free scholarships are available to those who apply. The deadline for applications is Feb. 28.

All of this is on top of the many other programs now being offered throughout the Miss-Lou. Copiah Lincoln, Natchez Campus, is offering Commercial Truck Driving, Healthcare Data Technology, Practical Nursing, Welding, Diesel Equipment Technology, Heating and Air Conditioning Technology, Automation and Control Technology, Cybersecurity Technology, Business and Marketing Management, and other Business Tech offerings.

The Fallin Center, Natchez High School, is offering Construction Technology, Work Based Learning, Digital Media Technology, Early Childhood Education, Health Science, Collision Repair Technology, and Educator Preparedness. In addition, our Natchez Adams School District has made these programs available to all area high school students, both public and private, and is now opening what will be one of the very first Career Academies in the state, allowing students to earn vocational work certificates simultaneously as they earn their high school diplomas!

We also have our Natchez Flight Training Academy at the Natchez-Adams County Airport, graduating between four and five new pilots a week.

The Frazier Center, under the leadership of Bettye Bell and Jarita King, in partnership with the NASD, is starting to do amazing things. And Alcorn’s Nursing Program at the Natchez Campus continues to be top-notch. In November, its online course ranked number two in the entire state.

It’s amazing what teamwork can do. Working together, we have made great strides. And we will continue working together so that, in Natchez, there will be no excuse for anyone not to get the workforce training they desire. Because Natchez Deserves More!

For information on these exciting workforce development opportunities, call 601-597-3093, or visit www.natchezworkforce.com.

Dan M. Gibson is mayor of Natchez.