Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
'Get on the Grid': New website designed to fill jobs, keep skilled workers in Mississippi
By Dillon Mullan
Belden - Both of Mississippi’s senators were at Itawamba Community College’s Belden Campus on Monday for the launch of “Get on the Grid MS” a website designed to connect high school students with career opportunities within the state.
“This is the most important thing that we could possibly be doing for our young people today,” Cindy Hyde-Smith said. “This is where money is well spent.”
The online resource offers information on the energy, healthcare, information technology, logistics and advanced manufacturing sectors. Students are able to look up different career paths, the training and education needed to pursue them, and the community colleges or universities offering the necessary certificates or degrees.
“I can see this become a very useful tool, and I can see many people who don’t know what they want to do with their future use it to get a grip,” said New Albany High School junior Baker Smith, who is interested in a career related to information technology. “Right now it could go either way. I would like to get a four-year degree, but I could also see myself going to community college.”
According to MississippiWorks.org – a website developed by the governor’s office to helps employers and job seekers, there are 52,187 open jobs in Mississippi as of Monday morning. Dubbed as “Mississippi’s virtual guidance counselor,” the goal of “Get on the Grid MS” website’s goal is to help fill those jobs, keep skilled workers from leaving Mississippi for other states and attract new industries.
“A meaningful career with a good paycheck is absolutely what these young people need,” Roger Wicker said. “It’s also a way to reverse the brain drain that we’ve had where we train young people and then they find employment in Atlanta or even New York City or someplace else. We want them to have the skills to have a job right here.”
The website is a collaboration between the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Three Rivers Planning and Development District, the CREATE Foundation, the Toyota Wellspring Fund and The Skills Foundation of Mississippi.