What will the next era of apprenticeships look like? Mississippi Marketplace

By Katherine Lin | Originally published by Mississippi Today

Over the past 10 years, there’s been a growing number of job apprenticeships in Mississippi and nationally. 

With the high cost of a four-year college degree, difficulty for recent grads to find jobs and uncertainty over artificial intelligence’s impact on work, there’s increasing interest in apprenticeships. 

Gov. Tate Reeves has said the state’s goal is to have 7,000 active apprentices, almost double the current number. It’s seen as a way to grow the state’s skilled workforce and stop population loss. Mississippi’s labor force participation rate has improved but still swings back and forth with West Virginia as the lowest in the country. 

During the last legislative session, the governor signed a bill creating a state-run Office of Apprenticeships. Responsibility for certifying apprenticeships in the state would shift from the federal Department of Labor to the new state office. Proponents say that this will mean programs will be more engaged with and responsive to the state’s workforce needs. 

Last week, I hosted a panel on apprenticeships for Mississippi Today’s second annual “All in on Mississippi” summit. Some key takeaways from my conversation with experts from across the state:

• Apprenticeships are expanding beyond the trades into fields such as healthcare and IT. Singing River Health System on the Gulf Coast offers apprenticeships for students to become nurses, pharmacy techs, phlebotomists and other in-demand health professions. 
• Community colleges play a key role. They are the most front-facing entities and offer the apprenticeship programs, work directly with students and partner with employers. 
• Experts said that in order to grow the pipeline and give more students the opportunity to “learn while they earn,” there will need to be close collaboration between the state, community colleges and industry partners. 

Lawmakers seek to increase cybersecurity

The Senate Cybersecurity Committee met Tuesday to hear recommendations from state, national and corporate experts on how to improve the state’s defenses. Artificial Intelligence and the February ransomware attack on University of Mississippi Medical Center have brought cybersecurity to the forefront. The committee is supposed to develop policy recommendations for the upcoming legislative session.

Most of the recommendations focused on ways to protect local and state governments. There was a proposal for a state law to incentivize private businesses to be proactive about cybersecurity. The law would limit damages and/liability against a private company after a cyberattack. This voluntary program would require the company to maintain certain security requirements and framework. 

The Mississippi Business Alliance also highlighted the importance of cybersecurity liability protections in its 2026 Legislative Report.

The group, one of the leading business organizations in the state, wrote that it was “encouraged to see the House advance practical measures in both of these areas. However, we were disappointed that cybersecurity liability protections and procurement reform ultimately failed to pass the Senate. These issues may not always attract the same public attention as larger economic development or tax proposals, but they matter to the day-to-day competitiveness of our state.”

Other news:

• Bill Cork, who recently stepped down as the head of Mississippi’s economic development agency, announced he has taken a job with the Texas Economic Development Council as its president and CEO. Cork served as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority for almost three years. “I couldn’t be more proud of the work did for the Reeves administration and the 10.5 years he served Mississippi,” Gov. Reeves said on social media. 
• ALO, a Los Angeles-based clothing company, will establish a new fulfillment center in Southaven. The brand, which is popular with celebrities and influencers, will spend $176 million and create 400 new jobs.
• Huntington Bank, which acquired Mississippi-based Cadence Bank last year, is spending more than $40 million to renovate its campus in Tupelo. 
• Westwin Elements is investing over half a million dollars to set up a nickel refinery in Natchez. 
• A plastics manufacturer is investing $7.7 million in Sunflower County. The startup called Koinonia said it will make products for the packaging industry and create 18 jobs. 
• There are still no structures at the location of a Brandon data center according to the Clarion Ledger. The company behind the project originally said the data center would be up and running in the first half of 2027. 

This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article