Southern Business Magazine Ranks MSCC in Workforce Training Top 10

Southern Business & Development magazine has recognized Mid-South Community College in its 11th Annual Top 10s Edition published in April and distributed in May.

SB&D’s Winter 2013 issue lists MSCC as one of “Ten Outstanding Southern Community Colleges for Workforce Training.”

Southern Business & Development, in its 21st year of publication, is the South’s only economic development magazine. In the past two years, the publication has been quoted and/or featured on CNN, Time, AP, ABC News, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, PBS, The Huffington Post, Yahoo, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many other electronic media, as well as in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, USA Today and The New York Times.

In Southern Business’ two-year institution recognition section, MSCC (and its fellow ADTEC institutions) joined colleges from Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Florida, and Kentucky as honorees. Southern Business covers news and initiatives in a 15-state area.

“Southern Business & Development magazine is a nationally-recognized and revered source for economic development news, so its acknowledgement of what we’re accomplishing through a collaborative effort is very meaningful,” said MSCC President Dr. Glen Fenter.

“We are extremely proud of this honor, but more importantly, we are proud of the positive impact our efforts have had on our community, state, and region.”

MSCC works in partnership with four sister institutions in the Arkansas Delta to meet the workforce training challenges of 2013 and beyond with an innovative, industrydriven approach to education and training.

The Arkansas Delta Training & Education Consortium (ADTEC) includes MSCC, Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas State University-Newport, East Arkansas Community College, and Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. The consortium supports regional workforce and economic development through a nationally-recognized, award-winning model which includes “workforce education pathways” that offer employable “stop-out points” along a comprehensive training continuum.

The ADTEC workforce development model has earned recognition and/or awards from the Southern Growth Policies Board, U.S. Department of Labor, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Community College Futures Assembly, and the Education Commission of the States.

“The continued success of our statewide and regional economic development efforts is directly tied to our ability to train and educate workers,” Dr. Fenter said.

“ADTEC is creating unparalleled employment opportunities for the people in eastern Arkansas, and its continued success is vital to the future of our state.”

Each consortium college features a technical secondary center that provides high school students the opportunity to earn dual credit (up to 24 semester hours) toward graduation at both institutions. Traditional college students and adult learners also have the opportunity to enter a pathway and pursue certifications and/or degrees.

ADTEC has invested millions of dollars in facilities, equipment, and industry-driven curriculum to provide world-class opportunities in allied health, computer networking and repair, diesel technology, machining, welding, advanced manufacturing, and aviation maintenance technology.

In introducing the section, Southern Business’ editorial staff wrote, “Workforce training has once again come to the forefront in the practice of economic development. Advanced manufacturers in need of skilled workers need not worry if they are recruiting graduates from any of these outstanding community colleges.”

For information about workforce training opportunities at Mid-South Community College, visit the campus at 2000 West Broadway in West Memphis, call the Admissions Office at (870) 733-6728, email admissions@midsouthcc.edu, or see the college’s website at www.midsouthcc.edu.