Higher education, business formalize partnership through MOU
More than 95 percent of jobs created during the recovery have gone to workers with at least some college education, while those with a high school diploma or less are being left behind, according to America鈥檚 Divided Recovery: College Haves and Have-Nots, a recent report from Georgetown University鈥檚 Center on Education and the Workforce.
Understanding the crucial link between higher education and economic development, the 桃花直播 Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the 桃花直播 Development Authority have worked together for decades to leverage higher education assets to attract business and industry to 桃花直播. The two entities formalized this partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Glenn McCullough Jr., Executive Director of the 桃花直播 Development Authority, Dr. Douglas W. Rouse, President of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and Dr. Glenn Boyce, Commissioner of Higher Education, at a Board of Trustees meeting held Thursday [Jan. 19] in Jackson.
In collaboration with 桃花直播鈥檚 eight public universities, the Board of Trustees and MDA will showcase 桃花直播 to companies that will create jobs and invest capital.
鈥溙一ㄖ辈's public universities are a strategic advantage in community and economic development so MDA is pleased to formally recognize our partnership with the Institutions of Higher Learning to provide new career opportunities for 桃花直播ans,鈥 McCullough said. "Working together, MDA and the IHL will aggressively leverage the assets we share to accelerate economic opportunity for 桃花直播ans throughout the state.鈥
As outlined in the MOU, the expected outcomes include:
鈥 Increased pipeline of companies to consider 桃花直播 for expansion and growth.
鈥 Increased number of corporate contacts and project leads for MDA.
鈥 Increased opportunities for corporate entities and 桃花直播鈥檚 public universities to support one another.
鈥 Defined and mapped catalog of the respective economic development strengths of 桃花直播鈥檚 public universities.
鈥 Increased business growth across the state.
聽鈥 Stabilization and growth of jobs in defined sectors.
鈥淲orking together, our university system and the state鈥檚 economic development engine can build on our collective strengths for the benefit of the state,鈥 Boyce said. 鈥淭his Memorandum of Understanding better defines our roles and efforts, enabling the partnership to become a force multiplier for the state鈥檚 economy.鈥
Some of the planned efforts include shared marketing messages, joint outreach to strategic clients and business leaders and identifying and supporting shared legislative priorities. Each organization will designate a representative to serve as a point of contact and liaison for the effort who will support the goals of the MOU.
In addition to the MOU signing, another initiative was announced at the ceremony. This initiative is an online tool designed to help recent and soon-to-be graduates find jobs in the state, . Set to complete the pilot phase and begin statewide implementation soon, the site allows students to receive email alerts when jobs in their desired career tracks become available.
The online tool was conceived by Mark Henry, Executive Director of the 桃花直播 Department of Employment Services. Spearheaded by MDES, the site was developed by the National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research Center (NSPARC) at 桃花直播 State University and is managed by the 桃花直播 Department of Employment Security. The career centers at the universities assist MDES in informing students about how to create a profile and use the site.
鈥淭his website is an important tool to help our students transition into the workforce and keep our graduates in the state,鈥 Boyce said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure there has ever been a better communicative tool for keeping students up-to-date on job openings.鈥
MDA, IHL and the universities also plan to hold a semi-annual strategic conversation to align strategies and goals and produce a joint annual summary report of the outcomes and results of their collaborative work.