Mississippi Workforce Development

Mississippi Workforce Development was an MDC policy research and analysis project designed to increase Mississippi's workforce and economic competitiveness.

In 2003, Mississippi's major public workforce development resources were split between two different oversight entities: the State Workforce Investment Board handled federal WIA resources and the State Workforce Development Council handled state funding for a community and junior college system of one-stop workforce centers. This arrangement resulted in a lack of coordination and expensive duplication of effort, ultimately affecting the state's ability to ensure the availability of a competitive workforce.

Through a contract with the Employment Training Division of the Mississippi Development Authority, MDC recommended forming a Joint Task Force comprising members of the two workforce oversight bodies to explore how to improve workforce system effectiveness and to make recommendations to the governor and state legislature.

MDC then worked with the Joint Task Force. Findings and recommendations are published in Generations of Progress - A Future of Our Choice, a report to the governor and state legislature.

The report was used to inform landmark legislation, The Mississippi Comprehensive Workforce Training and Education Consolidation Act of 2004.