About 2 in 5 business leaders who were polled during the Mississippi Business Alliance’s statewide tour stop Tuesday at the Lowndes County PACCAR plant said workforce availability is the issue most likely to limit their organization’s growth over the next two years.

MSBA President and CEO John McKay said workforce development is far from a new problem.

“That’s one of those that I’ve been working on for 20 years, and I can imagine I’m going to work on it for another 20 years, and it still won’t be solved. But we have to continue to get better,” he said. “… We have put the right pieces in place. We’ve got some great leaders in this space right now.”

MSBA is a coalition formed last year by the Mississippi Economic Council, Mississippi Manufacturers Association and the Business and Industry Political Education Committee, with the goal of being the “one-stop shop for advocacy, political involvement, research (and) networking” when it comes to business in Mississippi, McKay said.

That includes addressing workforce development issues through initiatives like the WorkFuture Institute for Workforce and Educational Excellence, which aims to link private sector business needs with public sector education.

“The idea behind it is (to find) specific ways that we can really focus our attention on workforce, so that we’re aligning the training and education that’s taking place with what employers are needing all across the state,” said MSBA Executive Vice President and Foundation President Scott Waller.
“If we’re able to do that, then we’re able to provide the type of skilled workforce to you as employers in a way that we haven’t been able to do before.”

One specific way came with the passage of Senate Bill 2524 earlier this year, which created the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council.
Replacing the Education Achievement Council, which consisted solely of educational representatives, MPAC loops business representatives into the conversation.

Waller said the idea is to ensure businesses are at the table to clearly identify what workforce needs are most pressing. Then, educational initiatives can be aligned with those needs.

“Education is not going to change. They’re going to keep doing things the way they’ve always done them because it’s how it’s always been done,” Waller said. “But they understand now that if businesses are there, they at least need to listen to what their issues are. And it gives us an opportunity to align those things and advocate for the right kinds of politics that we need to create a system that leads to a true career.”

Once the need is established through collaboration with businesses themselves, Waller said the next step is ensuring training is available for employees to receive whatever credentials needed, whether it be postsecondary education, certificates or professional development opportunities.

“Part of this process is to make sure that we have a plan at every level of education for what we have to have to meet the business needs all across Mississippi,” he said. “We do that, and we know what jobs are there. That makes it a lot easier to explain to students what a pathway is for them to be successful.”

Of those polled during the presentation Tuesday, about 32% said expanding internships, apprenticeships or work-based learning opportunities for students would create the greatest value for their organization.

That is one of the key issues MSBA hopes to tackle next year when it comes to workforce development, Waller said.

By combining those factors – a clear idea of industry needs, credentials of value and clear pathways for success – Waller said the state will be well positioned for positive economic outcomes.

“I think we’ve made great strides there over the past few years, particularly with the creation of the office of workforce development,” he said. “This is just going to be putting it in turbo drive, if you will. We’re going to go from using regular gas to high octane.”

McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.