The Process Operations Technology program at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus has received a Gold Level endorsement from Central Gulf Industrial Alliance (CGIA). CGIA is an industry-driven consortium of leading employers along the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast.
“Recognition from the consortium means that we meet and exceed standards set by the industries for potential employees,” said Tommie Broome, Process Operations Technology instructor. “They researched our curriculum and conducted an extensive on-site audit and inspection to ascertain compliance with safety standards and course content. They also look at placement as a measure of the program’s success.”
The consortium leads a nationally recognized evaluation and endorsement process for regional industrial craft training programs to ensure these operate at or above industry standards and meet the workforce needs of the member’s industries. It offers three different levels of endorsement based on a scorecard. Gold is the top award, followed by silver and bronze, which is the lowest level. MGCCC’s Process Operations Technology program scored a Gold Level endorsement, which means that that the college has a quality program, is recognized by the industries that are hiring students and encourages others to look at MGCC students as a valuable resource.
The Process Operations Technology program was started in 2003. Currently, it serves almost 275 students in day and evening programs, with an average of 80 students graduating each year.
In August 2017, the Process Operations Technology Program received endorsement status from the North America Process Technology Alliance, giving the program its first national-level endorsement.
“We were excited when CGIA chose the Process Operations Program for endorsement. We are the first Process program to be selected for endorsement and consider it an honor to set this standard,” Broome said. “We set the bar very high for those to come after us. This is an important recognition because of the opportunities that is opens for our students.”
