Episode 17: Scratchin’ the Surface of Mississippi’s Manufacturing Ecosystem Dr. with Courtney Taylor​

Episode Overview:

This week, Matt talks with Dr. Courtney Taylor from Accelerate Mississippi about her work in enhancing the state’s manufacturing sector. Dr. Taylor describes the successes they have made in attracting new manufacturing investment and federal grants to the state, all while leveraging regional strategies to foster communication and collaboration at a local level. Dr. Taylor discusses the critical role of federal investments, such as the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, in supporting regional manufacturing, particularly in shipbuilding, and reinforces the importance of these federal programs in driving community engagement and breaking down silos. 

She shares successes from their efforts, like exposing thousands of students to manufacturing careers and tackling specific industry challenges through partnerships with academic institutions – getting to kitchen tables and getting a new generation excited for the future of manufacturing. Come learn how AccelerateMS has managed this by hiring regional ecosystem coordinators and establishing career counseling support in over 80% of Mississippi high schools. All this and more on this week’s Manufacturing an American Century! 

AMCC’s podcast is made possible in part by the pro bono expertise of Mike McAllen, founder of Podcasting4Associations. Are you part of an association also looking to produce a podcast? Let us get you in touch with Mike.

Thank you to the Economic Development Administration for their partnership in producing this podcast. This podcast was prepared in part using Federal funds under award 3070145 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Participants:

• Courtney Taylor, Executive Director, AccelerateMS
• Matt Bogoshian: Executive Director, American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative and host of the podcast.

💡 Key Ideas:

• Regional Ecosystem Coordinators: Dr. Taylor shares how Mississippi has organized eight workforce regions, each having coordinators to enhance communication, tailor programs, and integrate local needs into broader strategies.
• Regional Workforce Capacity: The implementation of career coaches in high schools to connect students with local opportunities and increase awareness of manufacturing careers
• Impact of Exposure Programs: Dr. Taylor describes initiatives like exposing 10,000 students to shipbuilding to increase interest in manufacturing careers and address workforce shortages.

🔗Links to Learn More:

• Learn more about AccelerateMS
• Hear more from Courtney on her pod: Scratchin’ the Surface of Workforce Development
• Find Courtney on Linkedin.

• Follow AMCC on Linkedin.
• Find Matt on Linkedin.
• Visit our website.