Workforce ready is an area of economic development Warren County and the city of Vicksburg have been actively pursuing and now the business community is being asked to get on board to make our area workforce ready certified.

The Economic Development Division of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce is asking for support from chamber members in this endeavor.

Approximately 60 business/employers in Vicksburg and Warren County have signed up to be included to the workforce ready website to showcase that these chamber members are in support of Warren County becoming the next Certified Workforce Ready Community in Mississippi. The goal of the chamber is to get more than 100 local business/employers to join up.

If you are not familiar with the workforce ready initiative, it is a designation that means the businesses climate is favorable for companies to relocate here or to expand, and for new ones to open business in our community. It also means we have the people in our county who are ready to work.

Partnerships between Hinds Community College and the Vicksburg Warren School District to adequately train our local workforce is a prime example of what is necessary for our community to attract major economic development partners.

Currently, more than 500 VWSD students from Warren Central and Vicksburg high schools are bused from their respective school to HCC’s Vicksburg campus for one of 14 classes in the career and technical education programs offered at the Vicksburg-Warren Career Technical Center.

This VWSD program has continued to expand and is part of the school district’s initiative to offer a path for every student after high school, whether enrolling in college, enlisting in the military, entering the workforce or becoming entrepreneurs.

Contact the chamber at 601-636-1012 for more information and let them know your business supports the workforce ready initiative in our community.