Above: Welding is one of the career-technical and workforce programs that has national certifications available at MGCCC.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has been selected as one of 20 colleges in the nation to participate in The Right Signals Initiative funded by Lumina Foundation. The college will highlight its workforce, career and technical credentialing on a national scene over the next 18 months.

“Offering our students the best opportunities for success is our goal at MGCCC,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president. “We are pleased to participate in this initiative at the national level because it will do just that: Help our workforce trainees find employment in their skills areas not matter where they seek employment.”

Credentialing varies widely among colleges and states and is often confusing for stakeholders, including employers, schools and students. The Right Signals Initiative is seeking to develop credentialing models that meet employer requirements and are easy to follow for students. A major goal of the initiative is to work toward a national system of recognizable credentials that is beneficial to students as they take varied and new paths to acquiring knowledge and skills that employers value.

“MGCCC’s participation in The Right Signals Initiative is exciting because it provides our students with not just nationally recognized credentials but the very best credentials at the national level,” said Dr. Jason Pugh, vice president of Teaching and Learning at MGCCC.

MGCCC was chosen because of its already outstanding credentialing programs in place. The college’s existing credentialing programs include offering four associate degrees, certificates and diplomas in career and technical training programs, and a myriad of nationally recognized and competitive certifications. Additionally, MGCCC will be creating new credentials under the Right Signals project as it initiates new programing associated with a community-works certificate and newly developed curriculum aimed at increasing the safety and security of individuals working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

“During this initiative, MGCCC will assess the college’s existing credential deployment to find ways to improve and will share this information at the national level through the American Association of Community Colleges and Lumina Foundation,” Pugh said.

The colleges begin their work in April, concluding the program in September 2017. The American Association of Community Colleges plans to release the findings from the initiative in early 2018.