2015 Investor Committee Award For Exemplary Effort To Accomplish Systems Change

Awarded To The Foundation For The Mid South And Partner The Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative
The National Fund for Workforce Solutions has selected the Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative, which is led by the Foundation for the Mid South, as a recipient of the 2015 Investor Committee Award for Exemplary Effort to Accomplish Systems Change.
This national award was competitive among 36 workforce funding sites across the country and the Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative, led by Foundation for the Mid South, was chosen for their partnership with the Mississippi Energy Institute for Get On The Grid.
Get On The Grid is a web-based portal that connects Mississippi residents to valuable information and resources that make academic pathways to energy and manufacturing jobs more accessible.

( Left to Right: Dr. Corey Wiggins, Executive Director of Mississippi Economic Policy Center – Justin Archer Burch, Associate at Foundation for the Mid South – Patrick Sullivan, Executive Director of the Mississippi Energy Institute)
Building Workforce Resources in Mississippi
The Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative brings together community leaders and philanthropic partners in both public and private sectors to improve job growth, opportunity, and retention in Mississippi. Though the unemployment rate in Mississippi has fallen since the height of the economic recession, the current 7% rate is still higher than most states in the U.S.
Beyond the problem of unemployment, many workers in Mississippi are underemployed — typically working in low-wage jobs that contribute to the state’s high poverty rate.
As Foundation for the Mid South leads the Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative, we work to decrease both unemployment and underemployment by providing Mississippi residents with programs and resources like Get On The Grid to gain the education and skills needed for meaningful, sustainable employment.
We’re proud to be honored with the 2015 Investor Committee Award for Exemplary Effort to Accomplish Systems Change, but we’re even more proud to partner with outstanding organizations like the Mississippi Energy Institute.
Opportunities for a Higher Standard of Living
Get On The Grid provides detailed information about high-demand energy careers as well as connections to programs at both community colleges and universities across the state.
Patrick Sullivan, the president of Mississippi Energy Institute, emphasizes the importance of Get On The Grid as a work development tool, as it is “the only resource in Mississippi that markets very specific, in-demand careers in energy and manufacturing sectors. The site is designed to appeal to teenagers and provide the right information very quickly.”
Sullivan goes on to explain the place for such a resource: “[It’s] designed to increase awareness and interest in both technical and professional level careers in these well-paying sectors. In Mississippi and across the country, companies are searching for motivated individuals to fill highly skilled, high tech jobs.”
Making people aware of these opportunities and providing the tools to act is key.
Ultimately, meaningful workforce education and development can help Mississippi and the Mid South lift people out of poverty, better the communities we live in, strengthen the local economy, and become more competitive in the global economy.
Educating Students on Employment Opportunities
In March, Meredith Gunn, the Director of Workforce Development at the Mississippi Energy Institute, set up a Get On The Grid booth at Leakesville Junior High, where the response by students was largely positive. Over 100 students learned how to use the website and many voted Get On the Grid as “Most Interesting Booth.”
In her post, Meredith explains, “Moral of the story: kids these days are acutely aware of the world around them. They take in career information like sponges, and resources like Get On The Grid spark their very visual minds. Invested educators are taking advantage of resources like Get On The Grid to prove to their students that professional career possibilities are right in their home state—even in their own backyards.”
Career fairs like these and initiatives like Get On The Grid are a good step towards building up a better economy and a new generation of skilled workers in Mississippi.
We’re proud to be honored with the 2015 Investor Committee Award for Exemplary Effort to Accomplish Systems Change, but we’re even more proud to partner with outstanding organizations like the Mississippi Energy Institute.