Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus has been awarded a $60,000 grant through the national EmployED Initiative, a competitive workforce development program managed by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) with funding from General Motors. MGCCC is one of only 18 community colleges selected nationwide and the only college in Mississippi to receive this distinction.

The EmployED Initiative supports projects that align community college programs with current and emerging advanced manufacturing industry needs. MGCCC will participate in Cohort 2, which focuses on strengthening advanced manufacturing and associated career and technical education (CTE) programs.

Through this funding, MGCCC will provide student scholarships in Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology and Welding Technology, purchase robotics training equipment, and develop a marketing video designed to promote career pathways and workforce opportunities in advanced manufacturing.

“This investment will have a direct and lasting impact on our students and our region,” said Dr. Cedric Bradley, vice president of MGCCC’s Jackson County Campus. “By expanding scholarships, enhancing hands-on training through robotics, and increasing awareness of advanced manufacturing careers, we are better positioning our students to succeed in high-demand, high-wage fields while supporting the evolving needs of industry along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

AACC officials emphasized the importance of aligning education with workforce demand.

“Aligning community college career and technical education with industry needs in advanced manufacturing is a high priority for AACC,” said AACC President DeRionne Pollard. “We are proud to work with General Motors in building and sustaining workforce pipelines, while advancing promising practices that support both our students and our economy.”

General Motors leaders echoed the urgency of workforce investment nationwide. “General Motors recognizes the urgent need for workforce development nationwide. That’s why we are investing over $1.5 million in the AACC EmployED initiative to empower 18 community colleges with programs that create career pathways in manufacturing, IT, supply chain and logistics, automotive maintenance, and construction,” said David Massaron, GM vice president, Infrastructure and Corporate Citizenship. “GM is committed to developing the next generation of skilled professionals, advancing American manufacturing, jobs, and innovation.”

As part of the initiative, AACC will facilitate a peer learning network made up of three cohorts focused on early career technical exposure, advanced manufacturing programs, and electric vehicle-related education. Participating colleges will collaborate, share best practices, and contribute to scalable workforce solutions that will be shared across AACC’s national membership.

The EmployED Initiative builds on previous collaborations between AACC and General Motors aimed at identifying critical industry skills and strengthening community college pathways into advanced manufacturing careers.