26 May ICC reorganizes Career and Workforce Division, promotes Barry Emison May 26, 2021 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 Itawamba Community College has reorganized its Division of Career and Workforce Education to better serve its industry partners and to make a more significant impact on the economic development efforts, not only for this region but also the entire state, according to President Dr. Jay Allen. Barry Emison, who has served as the dean of Career and Technical Instruction since 2015, will become the newly-created vice president of Career and Workforce Education, a Cabinet-level position. Six years ago when he transitioned into the dean’s position from a teaching role as instructor of Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology, Emison talked about a pipeline for learning, and he was emphatic that adult learners have a place in education. Emison attended college at ICC as an adult learner, so he knows from experience. “When I graduated from high school, college was not an option,” he said. “I took an entry level job in manufacturing, and it was immediately evident that I needed a skillset. Three years later, I enrolled in Tool and Die Technology while continuing to work full time at night. As an adult learner, I felt out of place. I knew that I had certain talents and skills, just as all adult learners do. College can be very intimidating, so I want to continue to emphasize the message that college can be for anyone, especially for those who choose to build skills to enter the workforce. I was thrilled when an opportunity arose that allowed me to return to ICC 26 years ago to teach Tool and Die to others just like me. I look forward to the challenge of this new role which merges two divisions that enables us to better serve the needs of our industry partners as well as promote economic development in our region.” In addition to the associate’s degree from ICC, Emison earned the bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and the master’s degree from the University of Mississippi. His experience includes more than 20 years as a Career and Technical/Workforce instructor at ICC, 11 years in manufacturing and eight years in the military. He was the recipient of the 2008 Meritorious Achievement award and the 2010 Award for Excellence, both from ICC and the 2010 Award for Excellence in Vocational Education from the Mississippi Manufacturers Association. Emison represented ICC as its HEADWAE honoree in 2014 and NISOD honoree in 2010. He is an active member of SkillsUSA and the National Institute of Metal Working Skills. In addition to Emison’s promotion, TZ Waters of Tupelo, current director of Workforce Training and Pathways, will have increased responsibilities so her title will be changed to director of Workforce Education. She will take the lead on all workforce-related projects and assist Emison in interaction with industry partners. A new director of Career Education will be hired. “This combination (of positions) will allow us to further integrate workforce and career education and make it a seamless product that we provide to our workforce and economic development partners,” Allen said. “I’m excited about this reorganization since it’s a great opportunity for the College to further align two areas for a seamless merge.” Related Articles ICC joins in commemoration of February as Career Education Month Itawamba Community College is joining two-year institutions across the United States in commemorating February as Career Education Month. “Career education is a major part of the solution to such economic and workforce issues, including high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs,” said Dylan Baldwin, dean of Career Education at ICC. “Career education associate’s degrees can pay $10,000 more per year than those in other fields, sometimes even more than bachelor’s degrees, while limiting student debt.” Recent news reports indicate that those who now realize that immediate employment in the skilled trades and no student debt lead to promising careers are referred to as “The Toolbelt Generation,” Baldwin said. “Many are benefitting from the secure job track and high earnings potential these career education jobs now provide. Additionally, federal data shows that trade school students are more likely to be employed after school than their degree-seeking counterparts and much more likely to work in a job related to their study.” According to the latest figures available from the Association for Career and Technical Education, 21,897 ... ICC joins two-year colleges in February commemoration of Career Education Month Itawamba Community College is joining two-year institutions across the United States in commemorating February as Career Education Month. “Career education is a major part of the solution to such economic and workforce issues, including high school dropout rates, a weakened economy, global competitiveness and massive layoffs,” said Dylan Baldwin, dean of Career Education at ICC. “Career education associate’s degrees can pay $10,000 more per year than those in other fields, sometimes even more than bachelor’s degrees, while limiting student debt.” According to the latest figures available from the Association for Career and Technical Education, 23,062 postsecondary career education participants in Mississippi are developing technical, academic and employability skills and engaging in work-based experiences with industry partners. “These youth and adult learners enrolled in career education programs are more engaged, earn industry-recognized credentials and have rewarding and family-sustaining careers,” the ACTE noted. In addition, there were 16,064 postsecondary credentials earned during the same time period. Career education programs, such as advanced manufacturing; agriculture, food and beverage; distribution and logistics and forestry, construction and information technology can fill skills gaps, particularly ... ICC offers free short-term career pathways through December to those who qualify Itawamba Community College is offering several free short-term career pathways to those who qualify from now until the end of December as part of the ReSkill Mississippi Initiative. The program is designed to help ease the economic burden and uncertainty the pandemic has created for the state’s workforce. ICC is utilizing the resources to enhance or start new workforce development training and/or career education programs that would positively impact underemployed, unemployed, furloughed and/or otherwise displaced individuals who are experiencing economic hardships as a result of COVID-19, said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. ICC has utilized the ReSkill Mississippi funds to create short-term pathway programs in medical administrative assistant, quality improvement associate, introduction to industrial maintenance and electrician assistant. They join a list of 14 other pathway programs, which also offer free tuition opportunities for those who qualify through December. Allen, who serves as chair of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Workforce Committee, and Tyler Camp, chief of staff and special assistant to the president, were instrumental in securing the more than $49 million to ... ICC provides innovative delivery of several workforce classes Itawamba Community College is providing innovative delivery of several Workforce classes to enable individuals to enroll in three online courses to meet the needs of its workforce partners as well as those of all individuals who are interested in skilling up or exploring job opportunities. The available courses, which are a collaboration between ICC’s Workforce and eLearning divisions, include Forklift: Train-the-Trainer, Forklift Operator Training and Lockout-Tagout: Isolation of Hazardous Energy. “ICC’s staff, particularly Workforce and eLearning, have done an exceptional job in transitioning current courses to an online format,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “With the reduction of face-to-face classroom and training opportunities as the College is impacted by COVID-19, they explored methods of meeting the needs of not only our workforce partners but individuals who are interested in attaining more or better skills to enhance their current or future job options. These three classes are only a start since work is continuing to offer additional opportunities.” The hybrid Forklift Operator Training course includes instruction on safely operating a forklift in industry ... Recent ICC graduate Finley receives Trustmark Workforce Development Scholarship Recent Itawamba Community College graduate Nelson Finley of New Albany has received the Trustmark Workforce Development Scholarship. Finley is among 25 members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society to receive the $200 scholarship, which is awarded in states throughout Trustmark’s marketplace who plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of an associate degree or certification. Finley, who majored in Computer Programming Technology, is a member of PTK, and his honors included All-Mississippi Academic Team and the Dean’s List. He is the son of Latrese Finley. “Members of Phi Theta Kappa are committed to academic excellence, and we are proud to partner with Phi Theta Kappa to recognize their accomplishments,” Trustmark Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing Melanie Morgan said. “We would like to congratulate the Trustmark Workforce Development Scholarship recipients, and we look forward to seeing them develop into future leaders, as well as make significant contributions in their communities.” Approximately 74 percent of students attending associate degree-granting colleges will enter the workforce following graduation, and one in four PTK members is a ... ICC announces Cadence Bank’s continued support of its Career Pathways program Itawamba Community College today announced Cadence Bank has continued its long tradition of supporting ICC students with a $15,000 donation to its Career Pathways program. The program connects low-income individuals and adult education students with workforce training to enable them to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for finding employment in a high-demand career field, according to Josh Gammill, director of continuing education at ICC. “As the need for skilled workers becomes more abundant in our community, graduates of Itawamba Community College’s workforce training programs will increase the number of available workers within the community, positively impacting economic development efforts in the region,” he said. Cadence Bank’s donation will be used to pay for the tuition of one of Itawamba Community College’s workforce training pathways, which includes programs such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and EMT-Basic. “ICC staff members communicate with students in this demographic, and while there is interest in the programs, they often do not have the funds necessary to be able to pay for training courses,” Gammill said. Because the programs are short-term and non-credit, no state or federal ... Comments are closed.