Mississippi Expands Career Coaching Initiative with Additional Funding    

JACKSON, MS — This fall, Mississippi is ramping up its efforts to guide high school students towards promising career paths by significantly increasing the number of career coaches across the state.

The number of career coaches will rise to 203 for the 2024-2025 academic year, thanks to the addition of new coaches. These professionals will be deployed in 95% of the state’s public school districts.

“One-on-one career coaching illuminates the diverse array of high-tech, high-skill jobs available in Mississippi,” said Dr. Courtney Taylor, Executive Director of AccelerateMS. “This model has already shown significant positive impacts in our communities. With ongoing support from elected officials and industry leaders, this program is set to guide thousands of students toward enhanced career pathways, driving economic growth throughout our state.”

The career coaching strategy, inspired by successful community-based programs in northeast Mississippi and the Gulf Coast, gained momentum after being funded by the State Legislature in 2022. This year, an additional $15 million in state general funds has been allocated to the initiative.

Crafted to supplement and expand on opportunities and exploration offered through career and technical education, the coaches help students identify career pathways aligned with their skills and interests. They also forge connections with the business community to offer job shadowing, internships, training, and employment opportunities.

AccelerateMS coordinated grants to six local regional development organizations this year to recruit, hire, and place coaches in school districts within their areas.

The full list of recipients is below.

These coaches play a crucial role in linking educators, students, and employers, fostering community growth and prosperity. By the end of the 2023-2024 school year, the coaches facilitated 2,366 job shadow opportunities, 4,371 college applications, 2,109 job applications, and hosted 2,682 guest speakers. They also engaged in 38,621 one-on-one conversations with students about their postsecondary plans.

Key goals for the 2024-2025 school year include expanding efforts related to priority industry sectors and careers. This includes increasing quality career discussions and engagement with priority occupations through job applications, CTE program engagement, and career exploration activities. Additionally, we aim to bring in more priority sector guest speakers, enhance job shadowing opportunities, and strengthen parental engagement, all focused on supporting students as they engage with targeted demand sectors.

“We have Career Coaches in all of our high schools in the Delta Workforce Area and the services they provide to students are invaluable,” said Mitzi Woods, Workforce Director at South Delta Planning and Development District. “Exposing students to opportunities they may never have heard about; whether it is training; careers they might not have thought about; higher education or short-term training for good jobs is critical to their futures and the Delta’s future. The partnerships with business, industry, education, and economic development are helping to align the students with long-term success.  We’ve seen it happen already.”