Services Provided

Bolivar County has a strong support system for delivering skilled workers. Customized training programs are available through the County’s two secondary vocational-technical training centers and two fully accredited junior colleges, located within an easy commute. Once an industry has made a firm commitment to locate in Bolivar County, state and county training coordinators meet with the industry’s representatives to tailor a customized training program. Training facilities and instructors are provided at no cost to the company. Training costs can also be covered for companies who prefer to use experienced employees and managers as instructors. Additionally, tax credits and partial wage reimbursement for in-plant training of eligible participants are available through Mississippi’s On-the-Job Training program.

These services include a customized training plan training facilities and equipment, Statepaid instructors for pre-employment and on-the-job training, video tapes, training manuals/models, mobile training units, funds for the cost of training, pre-employment assessment/screening, pre-employment skill development and on-the-job skill development.

Mississippi offers to industries a program for industrial training that can accommodate specific manpower needs of new or expanding industry in the state. The pre-employment of start up training program is designed to train potential employees for a company. This program is provided at little or no expense to the industry, and the industry is under no legal obligation to hire the trainees. Training can take place in a local vocational technical center or in the industry's plant. The in-plant training program is provided for newly hired employees in an industry or for employees who can profit from upgrading instruction. This training can also occur in the plant or at a local vocational technical center.

The employee training requirements of an industry are evaluated, and tailor made training program is formulated by a task force committee made up of representatives of the client industry, staff members from the training facility to be used and the industrial training specialist. The state provides training aids, materials, facilities and consultants. Qualified instructors are also provided free, or the company may furnish its own instructors, who will be partially reimbursed by the state.

The Coordinator of the Industrial Training with the State Department of Education, Vocational Technical and Adult Education Industrial Services Division, is available to assist industries in the development of an industrial training program.