Mississippi Construction Education Foundation

PROMOTE CAREERS, RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING OF A QUALITY WORKFORCE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

DURING 2022, MISSISSIPPI CONSTRUCTION EDUCATION FOUNDATION (MCEF) CONTINUED TO STRIVE IN MEETING THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT WERE INITIALLY ESTABLISHED BY ITS FOUNDERS MANY DECADES AGO. THE STAFF AT MCEF WORKED VIGOROUSLY TOWARDS THE FOUNDATION'S MISSION OF PROMOTING CAREERS, RECRUITING CAPABLE INDIVIDUALS, AND TRAINING A QUALITY WORKFORCE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN MISSISSIPPI. MEMBERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI'S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE ALONG WITH THE STAFF OF MCEF, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ACCELERATEMS MET FOUR (4) TIMES IN 2022 (ONCE A QUARTER) TO REVIEW THE GROWTH AND SUCCESS OF MISSISSIPPI'S CAREER AND TECHNICAL PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. MCEF'S STAFF ALSO MET WITH ALL 173 OF THE SECONDARY-CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATIONAL (CTE) CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS, 3 TIMES IN 2022, TO SHARE PERTINENT INFORMATION NEEDED TO KEEP THE PROGRAMS OPERATING PROPERLY AND TO INFORM THEM OF ANY PROBLEM AREAS THAT MAY REQUIRE MORE ATTENTION THAT WILL ENSURE THE CONTINUED GROWTH AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CAREER AND TECHNICAL PROGRAMS. ENROLLMENT IN SECONDARY PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT MS GREW DURING THE 2022 SCHOOL YEAR. MCEF OVERSAW 113 CENTERS THAT COMPRISED OF 173 CONSTRUCTION TRADE PROGRAMS INCLUDING 5,290 STUDENTS. NINE NEW CAREER AND TECHNICAL TRADE PROGRAMS WERE ADDED TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT ARE RUNNING SMOOTHLY THROUGHOUT THE STATE. IN ADDITION, MCEF CERTIFIED OVER 20 NEW INSTRUCTORS IN THE NCCER CURRICULUM. MCEF STAFF ALSO CERTIFIED OVER 300 INMATES INCARCERATED IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES THROUGHOUT MS, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE PROPER EDUCATION AND TRAINING THEY NEED TO ENSURE A FRESH START IN THE WORKFORCE INDUSTRY UPON RELEASE FROM INCARCERATION.IN THE 2022 ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR, MCEF'S GOAL WAS TO PLACE MORE OF AN EMPHASIS ON RECRUITING AND PROMOTING CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, IN LARGE PART TO SECONDARY STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT INVOLVED IN CT EDUCATION AND THAT ARE UNAWARE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES OFFER THAT WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR A LUCRATIVE FUTURE AND A SUCCESSFUL CAREER PATH. MCEF BEGAN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEMBERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS(MAIS), SO THAT WE CAN REACH AN AUDIENCE THAT HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED IN PAST YEARS. MCEF ALSO IMPLEMENTED MORE FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION WITH THE NEWLY HIRED ACCELERATEMS CAREER COACHES THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED IN VARIOUS SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN MS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREER(S). THE IMPORTANCE OF RAISING AWARENESS OF CT EDUCATION TO THESE COACHES, AS WELL AS ALL SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS IS A KEY COMPONENT TO CHANGING THE DISTORTED IMAGE MISSISSIPPIANS HAVE ABOUT PURSUING A CAREER IN A SKILLED TRADE.