by CAROL BRZOZOWSKI
AccelerateMS powers Mississippi’s economic growth by building a unified, future-ready talent system, notes Trey Smith, AccelerateMS director of talent solutions.
“We connect education, training and employers into one coordinated pipeline so businesses can find skilled workers, individuals can access meaningful opportunities and communities can thrive,” Smith notes. “Through bold partnerships and data-driven innovation, we are shaping a world-class workforce aligned to Mississippi’s economy.”
Smith points out that as the state’s lead workforce development agency, AccelerateMS doesn’t just set strategy, but executes it.
“Through our Talent Solutions team, we design and deliver customized workforce solutions that help companies start, grow and scale in Mississippi,” he says. “We serve as a hands-on partner focused on delivering results today while building sustainable talent pipelines for the future.”
Addressing some of the Mississippi’s workforce alignment challenges and what AccelerateMS is doing to help mitigate them, Smith notes that, as is the case with other states, Mississippi faces workforce challenges such as participation gaps, skills mismatches and limited awareness of high-demand career pathways — particularly in the skilled trades and advanced industries where projected workforce demand continues to outpace supply.
AccelerateMS is addressing these challenges through a proactive, execution-focused approach:
- Expanding training capacity statewide to better align with both current and future workforce needs.
- Strengthening coordination between K-12, community colleges and industry to ensure training pipelines reflect real job opportunities.
- Enhancing career coaching and data strategies to better connect individuals to high-opportunity careers.
- Supporting targeted recruitment efforts to attract and retain talent across key sectors.
“We are not just identifying workforce challenges — we are building the systems and infrastructure needed to address them at scale,” Smith points out.
Collaboration in action — participants in the AWS Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship (I2PA), a paid four-week program at Holmes Community College, work together to build real-world skills for in-demand infrastructure careers.
AccelerateMS partners with a wide range of employers across key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, energy, shipbuilding, construction, healthcare, logistics and technology.
“We support businesses across all industries in accessing state-funded workforce training, leveraging funding sources such as Workforce Enhancement Training and MS Works,” says Smith.
“Our partnerships span the full workforce ecosystem,” he says. “We collaborate with community colleges, planning and development districts, local workforce development areas and employers to design and deliver customized training solutions tailored to specific workforce needs.”
Recent partnership efforts include supporting workforce strategy and execution for a range of growing and expanding employers, such as:
- Amplify Cell Technologies (Byhalia): Supporting onboarding training strategy, recruitment and hiring efforts
- Siemens Energy: Assisting with training initiatives tied to expansion efforts
- Nissan (Canton): Collaborating on K-12 partnerships to strengthen long-term talent pipelines
- Bollinger Shipyards: Supporting targeted training programs, including bootcamp-style delivery models
- Amazon Web Services (Central Region): Partnering on long-term pipeline development through broad-based skills training initiatives.
“In every partnership, our role is to lead workforce strategy and execution — ensuring companies have the talent they need to succeed in Mississippi,” says Smith.
Through its statewide network and partnerships, virtually any technical or occupational training needed by employers can be delivered in Mississippi, Smith notes.
“We work to ensure the right training solution is identified, mobilized and executed — especially in cases where gaps exist in local training capacity,” he adds. “Our focus is on moving quickly and efficiently to meet employer demand and workforce timelines.”
Key offerings include short-term skills training from four to 12 weeks in areas such as construction, manufacturing, healthcare and technical trades.
AccelerateMS also provides industry-recognized credential programs aligned with specific hiring needs, pre-employment training academies customized for individual companies, and upskilling and reskilling programs for incumbent workers.
The Talent Solutions division of AccelerateMS provides end-to-end workforce strategy development, custom training design and delivery aligned to specific job roles and workforce pipeline development for new and expanding companies.
“We can scale these processes to fit the needs of a prospective company looking at Mississippi or an existing industry that has a need,” says Smith. “We tailor every solution to the employer because no two workforce challenges are the same.”
While recent partnership efforts represent a few of many of AccelerateMS’ success stories, the Talent Solutions team — established in late 2024 — is currently leading several key initiatives that are expected to deliver meaningful results for existing industry by 2027, says Smith.
“In addition to supporting current employers, the team is actively engaged in prospective economic development projects and working to develop workforce strategies for the many companies considering Mississippi,” he adds.