The city of Natchez has launched a new workforce training program, one that is expected to place at least 75 people in high-skill and high-wage jobs.
The Miss-Lou Train to Gain Program was recently announced by the Natchez Workforce Development and is federally funded by a $300,000 grant awarded by the Delta Regional Authority. Natchez was one of 25 awardees of over 120 applicants trying to attain the grant, which runs through April 2027.
“This investment in the people of Natchez and our region is truly a blessing,” Mayor Dan Gibson said. “It represents hope, opportunity, and progress. We are building not just a workforce but a future. Thanks to the Delta Regional Authority and the leadership of (Natchez workforce director) Tuwanna Williams, we are putting tools in the hands of those who need them most, and we’re changing lives.”
The grant program is designed to train 100 dislocated workers, including formerly incarcerated individuals and veterans, and aims to place at least 75 participants in jobs that might otherwise be unattainable, according to the announcement.
The initiative will serve six “persistent-poverty” counties in southwest Mississippi: Adams, Claiborne, Franklin, Jefferson, Pike, and Wilkinson. It will also reach across state lines to train workers from Catahoula and Concordia parishes in Louisiana.
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Williams said the program goals are to address regional workforce shortages through public-private partnerships and expand apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities.
“Some of the most vulnerable in our population are about to receive workforce training, obtain industry-recognized credentials, and get started in a career pathway that will provide more than livable wages,” she said.
If successfully executed, the program will result in a stronger community with more citizens making a life for themselves within the Miss-Lou region, which refers to the area along the Mississippi River where Mississippi and Louisiana meet. Positives include lowering unemployment, boosting economic resilience, and creating pathways to long-term success for individuals and families, per Williams.
“People are being empowered to purchase homes, provide and receive education for their children and themselves, and live and work right at home – investing in the local community and actively assisting us in maintaining growth,” she continued.
Miss-Lou Train to Gain Program partners include Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Natchez-Adams County Board of Supervisors, Natchez-Adams School District, Natchez, Inc., WIN Job Center, MAGCOR, and the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce.
For those who are interested in enrolling in the program, they should contact Williams at (601) 597-3093 or via email at [email protected].
