The Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC) is pleased to announce the Delta Workforce Marketing Initiative, which is a collaborative partnership between the CFWC, the Washington County Economic Alliance, the Mississippi Delta Community College Charles W. Capps, Jr. Technology Center, and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA).
The Delta Workforce Marketing Initiative began as a collaborative partnership to rebrand and promote the training programs and classes of the Capps Technology Center. This initiative was deployed throughout Washington County in all unemployment, under-employment, and underserved sectors with the goal of helping our residents become aware of the training available for skill enhancement so they can gain employment in an effort to close the middle skill job gap in Washington County.
In 2017, the Community Foundation committed $20,000 towards the Delta Workforce Marketing Initiative, which was coupled with funding from the DRA in the amount of $20,000 to yield a $40,000 total investment towards the development and implementation of a marketing plan for the Capps Technology Center. Cary Karlson, Executive Director of the WCEA, stated “We were so pleased to have the partnership between the WCEA, the DRA, and the CFWC as we looked to inform those in Washington County and the Mississippi Delta about the training opportunities at the Capps Technology Center. Having a trained workforce will help us greatly as we work to grow the economy in the Mississippi Delta.” Karlson further stated, “We knew that by matching the priorities of both of these organizations this workforce development initiative could really be expanded to maximize its impact on our Washington County community.”
According to Terri Lane, Executive Director of the CFWC, “After extensive research surrounding the landscape of Workforce Development here in our county, it was evident to our board that many valuable training programs, services and resources existed that were targeted to help enhance the workforce training and skills of residents with the goal of helping the unemployed and under-employed successfully compete for gainful employment. However, communications and marketing are vital components towards ensuring that residents are aware of how to access and take advantage of these workforce training resources.” The CFWC and the DRA took this as a challenge and committed funding towards the development and implementation of a communications and marketing plan to work, in partnership, with the Capps Technology Center to help tell their story.
After a successful first year and classes at The Capps Center overflowing with interested participants, CFWC stepped up for a second year in 2018 to continue these marketing and communications efforts throughout our Washington County community. Through the consistent messaging and continued marketing efforts, the numbers of class participants, certifications achieved and jobs offered for Washington County residents will continue to increase as a measurable results of these efforts.
