MCC program recognized by manufacturing companies

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - A program at Meridian Community College has received attention from over 200,000 people and over 100 manufacturing companies on LinkedIn.

The Precision Machining/Advanced Manufacturing Program has been receiving numerous calls from companies to recruit their graduates. The graduates are offered top salaries, signing bonuses and even money for moving expenses.

“We have 24 companies within a hundred miles in Meridian that hires us regularly. As a result, one person on LinkedIn with over 200,000 views. I had companies from all over the United States. Every state has contacted us. There’s big names in the industry like Gulf Stream, Glock, Space X, BLUSA, and the list goes on. There are jobs everywhere in every state. Right now, we don’t have enough students to fill all these jobs,” said program coordinator, Brian Warren.

That post highlighted a student who goes above his call of duty. Little did he know that post would put him in the spotlight as well as the program.

“A couple of weeks ago, I was walking to the shop at the end of the day. I noticed there was a student that was cleaning out the machine without anybody telling him to. I thought it would be a good thing to show because all you ever hear about these days is how young people don’t want to work. I want to show them here is a young man that wants to work. I put a little post up of him cleaning out the machine. I put a description of it, describing his work ethic. It just really struck a nerve. Our posts normally get a couple of thousand views. Before the end of the day, my phone and his phone batteries nearly died from people messaging us and getting notifications. I talked with 100 companies, probably 150, and the post is still going,” said Warren.

That student was Michael Bishop, who said he was shocked at the attention he was getting from the post. Bishop’s phone was blowing up with companies that wanted to give him a promising career.

“As far as the number of corporations, I say it had to be at least 20 to 24. It was huge how fast they came in. We couldn’t keep up. I did end up selecting one with a company called TNS Precision Manufacturing in Brandon, Miss. I am extremely happy with my decision. They are great people and a great company,” said Bishop.

Bishop said this program has changed his life.

“When I first joined this program, I worked in entry-level jobs. I never had a real career background or a definite trade. From the first day I came in here, I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew I loved to trade, and I love machining. I could not be happier with the way things turned out. I have a career now. I have a company and a definite place I’m going to work. I’m going to see new areas with a degree, and the sky is the limit with where you can go. It is a good move for me and my family. I couldn’t be happier,” said Bishop.

The program is housed at the Haas Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at MCC Workforce Development Center on Highway 19. There are only 38 of these training centers in the world and only one in the southeastern United States, and it’s located at Meridian Community College.

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