EMCC Launch Pad Applauds Sanderson Plumbing Employees

Columbus Mayor Robert Smith congratulates a group of former Sanderson Plumbing employees Monday at a reception in East Mississippi Community College’s Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence. The Sanderson Plumbing employees entered EMCC’s Launch Pad program following the plant’s closure in May to brush up on their skills in order to take the WorkKeys test and move on to EMCC Workforce training.

MAYHEW, Miss. (Press Release) — In the face of immense uncertainty, a group of employees laid off from the closed Sanderson Plumbing facility in Columbus have pushed ahead toward a new chapter. And in the process they inspired a group who specializes in new chapters.

Around 15 former Sanderson Plumbing employees now enrolled in adult basic education classes at East Mississippi Community College’s Launch Pad program gathered for a reception Monday at EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus. The former Sanderson crew is still in the thick of their efforts to enroll in Workforce training classes at EMCC. But first they had to earn at least a bronze Career Readiness Certificate through the WorkKeys test, which is no small task for someone who’s been out of school for decades.

“Sanderson Plumbing was one of the few places that still hired people without a high school diploma. A lot of them thought they’d never work anywhere but Sanderson Plumbing, so they were completely out of their comfort zone. But they came in and gave this program their complete and total effort. So we felt like we ought to congratulate them,” said Jim Bearden, director of the Launch Pad, EMCC’s ABE-GED division.

As Sanderson Plumbing shut down in stages between January and May of 2014, displaced employees were offered the opportunity through the WIN Job Center to enroll at the Launch Pad and learn a fresh set of employable skills. Many were apprehensive about becoming a student again, to say the least.

“I thought ‘Oh, Lord! What am I going to do? I’ve been out of school for 41 years!” said Kathy Smith, who was relatively new to Sanderson Plumbing with just eight years under her belt.

“What they teach now isn’t the same stuff they taught when I was in school. But they told me, ‘Don’t worry about it. You’re going to do great.’ And they helped me every step of the way. I’ve never had people who pushed me like that and said, ‘You can do it.’”

Mary Davis of Brooksville spent 20 years at Sanderson Plumbing.

“I was just wondering how I’m going to pay these bills. I’m too old to go back to school. But I came out and met everyone and, once I took that first step, it didn’t take that long. Once you take that first step, it’s a whole lot easier than you thought,” she said.

Trent Ivy of Columbus had almost 29 years in the books at Sanderson Plumbing. And he thought he was done learning math for the rest of his life.

“It was hard at first. A lot of formulas, I didn’t remember. But they were very patient with us and eventually it all came back to me,” he said.

Columbus Mayor Robert Smith also attended the reception and told the former Sanderson Plumbing employees how impressed he was to see them all reroute their lives.

“I admire you all for staying focused and committed. You’ve got a second chance. And if you weren’t serious about it, you wouldn’t be here right now,” said Smith.

Having achieved their Career Readiness Certificates through the Launch Pad, most of the former Sanderson Plumbing group will move on to Workforce classes through the Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Division at EMCC’s GT campus. Students who have a high school diploma or earn their GEDs are eligible to participate in any of the MTE Division’s Workforce classes, while those students without a GED can still enroll in EMCC’s welding, carpentry or HVAC programs.

“This opportunity and EMCC have given me hope,” said Kathy Smith, who will start EMCC’s health care data technician course in January. “Everything I’ve learned in my life, I’ve learned through experience. Now this is my second life.”