MMA leader touts impact of manufacturing
Published 5:00 am Friday, April 3, 2009
The importance of maintaining manufacturing jobs and the effectthey have on both the regional and national economy were the focusof a presentation at the 18th annual Copiah-Lincoln CommunityCollege Business Appreciation Luncheon Thursday in the Billy B.Thames Center on the Wesson campus.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of students and job seekersdescended on the campus to question business representatives aboutcareer and job opportunities during the college’s annual careerfair.
During the luncheon, Jay C. Moon, president and CEO of theMississippi Manufacturers Association, informed business andindustry leaders, county officials and college workforce trainersabout the present state of manufacturing in Mississippi and thenation.
“We are very much connected and what happens (elsewhere) reallyhas an impact on our nation and on Mississippi,” he said.
Moon said manufacturers are being affected by five major”happenings” in economic development today: globalization,technology and telecommunications, regionalism, sustainabledevelopment and workforce development.
Manufacturing is important to the economy in a variety of ways,he said, but in the current situation one of the most importantelements is its effect on other industries. Moon said eachmanufacturing job has two to three non-manufacturing jobs thatdepend on them.
For this reason, Moon said the value of new industrial prospectsbeing recruited by the state cannot be overstated. He mentionedseveral large prospects currently being recruited.
“Mississippi has been doing better than the nation as a whole inbringing in high-quality manufacturers,” he said.
The state’s dropout rate also received some attention from themanufacturer because of its impact on the number of qualifiedpeople in the workforce to meet the demands of employers, who areincreasingly needing employees with more technical backgrounds.
He said statistics show that 88 percent of dropouts had passinggrades and 70 percent said they could have graduated if they hadtried.
“These students are not understanding the relevancy of a diplomain today’s society,” Moon said. “We need to be more creative ingiving them that understanding.”
Workforce development is an area that continues to need majoremphasis, he said.
“Tax breaks and incentive programs are no longer enough (toentice potential industrial prospects). We have to have theworkforce capable of moving effectively into those jobs,” Moonsaid.
The morning career fair found many of those technicallyproficient pursuing career opportunities.
“It was pretty fast and furious for the first hour, hour and ahalf,” said Mark Godfrey, a representative for the BlaineCompanies. “There were a lot of students.”
Sherri Stevens, a Co-Lin business and marketing management majorfrom the Natchez campus who graduates in May, said she found someinteresting prospects, but not in her area.
“It’s been pretty good,” she said. “Not a lot of jobs inNatchez, but I’ve left plenty of resumes.”
Students’ interest was also high in continuing theireducation.
“We’ve had a lot of interest from community college and highschool students,” said Jason McCormick, an admissions counselor forthe University of Mississippi.
More than 45 businesses and educational centers were representedat the career fair.