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Columbus and Lowndes County have training available at the East Mississippi Community College Golden Triangle and the Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence located on the campus of EMCC. This institution has trained people for manufacturing and service sector jobs for many years, and the recent addition to our Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence has expanded and greatly enhanced the training capabilities of this community. Training programs can be put together at this center to accomplish training needs and provide companies with excellent employees. Additional courses are conducted throughout the year, and the life-long learning concept is utilized here.

The State of Mississippi provides custom-designed pre-employment training, post-employment training, and upgrade/re-training services for new, expanding or existing industries. These programs are available through the Workforce Education Program in conjunction with the community college system.

The pre-employment training program can be conducted at the plant site, at the community/junior college campus, in a mobile unit or at another designated facility. Instructor costs are reimbursable and negotiated on an individual project basis. The length of pre-employment training is also negotiable, but typically conforms to the accepted training standard and practice of the industry. Costs for training materials in the pre-employment training program may also be reimbursed as a part of the negotiated agreement.

Upon completion of the pre-employment training program, the employer has the option of choosing which candidates he wishes to retain for employment. The costs of the training programs may vary depending upon the type of training requested. The cost of each program is negotiated based on required training needs of each industry. Custom designed training manuals and multi-media training aids are available as a part of the Workforce Education Program.

A program that can be leveraged with the Workforce Education Program is the federal government's Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Through WIA's On-the-Job-Training Program, the employer may be reimbursed up to 50 percent of the wages for new workers for up to six months. When participants complete the training and enter un-subsidized employment, the employer may realize additional savings through a tax credit available under the Targeted Job Tax Credit Program. JTPA assistance is provided through the Mississippi Development Authority.