Career site names NEMCC #1 community college in Mississippi for workforce preparations

BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – With the unemployment rate continuing to shrink across the state and the nation, college graduates know the importance of preparing for a competitive workforce.

One area community college gets a top honor by an online career site.

Hunter Wigington and Rollen Ewing have graduated from NEMCC, but they still find time to check in with drafting instructor Jeff Melson.

In fact, both of the graduates credit Melson and NEMCC with helping them land jobs at VIP Cinema Seating in New Albany.

“My advisor Mr.Melson, he gave me the reference to go down there and talk to them, and I went down there, interviewed, called me back a few days later and I had the job,” Ewing said.

“I was referred to VIP by Mr Melson, that’s the reason I got the job,” Wigington said.

According to online career site “Zippia,” NEMCC is the number one community college in the state in preparing graduates for the workforce.

The research used data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

Zippia also focused on the long term employment picture, looking at employment levels 10 years after a student first enrolled at Northeast.

“We do realize our purpose. To assist these students and direct them toward highly skilled career jobs, skills specific employment,” Melson said.

There are about 40,000 jobs available in Mississippi right now.

For many of those positions, a high school diploma simply won’t cut it.

NEMCC President Ricky Ford says this latest honor shows the college is on the right track when it comes to making sure its graduates are workforce ready.

“Northeast Mississippi Community College is now being recognized nationwide as one of the leading institutions in classroom instruction, career tech advancement, employability of our students and then our students being able to transfer onto a university and be successful,” President Ford said.

President Ford also credits faculty members with the latest top honor for NEMCC.

NEMCC bumped ITT Technical Institute in Madison for the top spot in Mississippi for the Zippia 2018 rankings.