Northwest CTWE Advisory Breakfast draws over 150 business and industry leaders

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SENATOBIA, MS (04/13/2018) Over 150 North Mississippi business and industry leaders attended the Northwest Mississippi Community College Career, Technical and Workforce Education (CTWE)/District Workforce Development Council annual Advisory Committee Meeting on April 10 at the David M. Haraway Center on the Senatobia campus.

Each year these industry professionals join CTWE faculty and staff to discuss ways Northwest can enhance their curricula to best meet the changing demands of today's highly technical work place.

The group was welcomed to the campus by Dr. David Campbell, district dean of CTWE, who thanked them for their continued support of the college. Campbell introduced Northwest President, Dr. Gary Lee Spears, who gave the formal welcome to the group.

Spears recognized Northwest Board of Trustees members present and thanked them for their support of the college. He praised the college's CTWE programs and their efforts to get people both educated and employed.

Dwayne Casey, associate dean of Workforce Development and Manufacturing Programs introduced the keynote speaker, Justin Hall, executive director of Marshall County Industrial Development Authority (MCIDA).

Hall has served with MCIDA for four years and has a total of six years' experience in economic and industrial development. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi and is a graduate of the New South Economic Development Course at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and has completed the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Rural Leadership Institute.

Hall outlined recent changes in economic development in regard to site selection of industries and in workforce needs. "We are now competing in a global economy and market. Times have changed and technology has streamlined a lot of the factors in site selection. We are playing on a very large field," Hall said.

He cited a 2017 study published in Site Selection Magazine of the top 10 factors of site selection. According to the study, the number one factor, ranking at 92.8 percent, was availability of skilled labor. "The workforce has become the most important factor. If you don't have the right people showing up for work on time every day, you are not going to be successful. That is where Northwest comes in. We have a great team here. I don't go to a site selection event or a site visit without at least having them on standby," Hall said.

Hall talked about how changes in technology have resulted in the need for more technically skilled workers and how he relies on his partnership with Northwest to help find and train those workers. "Here at Northwest you are affecting lives. You are training people to have the skills that they need to go out and get a highly demanding job with a good wage to create a better life for themselves and for their community. I would encourage all of the business and industry leaders here today to take advantage of what Northwest has to offer. There are lots of opportunities for partnerships here at Northwest," Hall said.

After dismissal, Northwest CTWE instructors and administrators met with members of local business and industry to discuss the latest trends and needs in each area.

For more information on Northwest's CTWE programs, visit the website at northwestms.edu.

Pictured: Justin Hall, executive director of Marshall County Industrial Development Authority (MCIDA) was the keynote speaker at Northwest Mississippi Community College Career, Technical and Workforce Education (CTWE)/District Workforce Development Council annual Advisory Committee Meeting on April 10 at the David M. Haraway Center on the Senatobia campus. Over 150 North Mississippi business and industry leaders attended the event. (Photo by LaJuan Tallo)