When Thomas Huebner became president of Meridian Community College last summer, he began taking a serious look at the college’s future. 

“As president, I wanted to identify some areas that I believe are important for our community,” Huebner said.

One of the areas Huebner identified was improving the school’s workforce training capabilities. 

Huebner’s vision is starting to become a reality, as the college is planning to upgrade its Riley Workforce Development Center, adding new equipment in the process. 

The plan also includes getting all the workforce programs under one roof, as some are housed at the workforce center and others are located on MCC’s main campus, Huebner said.

Huebner said that while the workforce center offers a variety of programs, the main focus will be its manufacturing programs, since those are the most successful. The manufacturing programs currently have a 100 percent job placement rate.

The process will happen in two phases, Huebner said. Phase one will focus on the engineering and architecture of the building. Phase two will involve moving the 3-D CAD and automated and precision engineering technology programs from the main campus.   

Joseph Knight, the college’s dean for community and business development, hopes the improvements will make it easier for industries to recruit employees, because all the programs will be in one place.   

“It creates consistency and unity, so they can see everything,” Knight said.

Huebner said the college will pay for the project, estimated to cost $1.9 million, with grants or with money the school set aside for expansion. There is no timeline for the completion of each phase, Huebner said, but the goal is to have everything in place by fall 2020.

New equipment

Last fall, MCC was awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Mississippi Community College Board. The grant money will be used to purchase advanced manufacturing equipment, according to Richie McAlister, MCC’s associate vice president of workforce education. 

With the new equipment, MCC will be the only college in the state to offer a program in computer numerical controlled technology, he said. The technology can be used to create artificial body parts and biomedical devices.  

Brian Warren, coordinator of the school’s precision machining technology program, said the new equipment will give students the opportunity to use technology being used in the workplace. Warren said that, over the last 10 years, the manufacturing industry has changed. One of the college’s roles is to adapt to those changes, so that students are prepared when they enter the workforce.  

Looking ahead, McAlister hopes the improvements will bring in more local jobs. 

“That is why we are doing this,” he said. “We want to have more jobs in the area.”