Climbing the Ladder: MSU’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies helping skilled workers advance careers through leadership credential program
STARKVILLE, Miss. (PRESS RELEASE) ,— An MSU Press Release reports that Mississippi State’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies is spearheading a new leadership and project management credential program to help skilled workers advance into supervisory roles.
Thanks to a U.S Department of Education grant, MSU is receiving approximately $2.6 million in federal funding through 2029 for its new Skills Trade Empowerment Program, or STEP, a 10-week leadership initiative for early and mid-career workers in trade industries such as construction, manufacturing, and energy. The university is the only Mississippi institution of higher learning to receive the award served through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, or FIPSE, Special Projects Program.
“There is a gap between knowing a trade and leading a team. STEP closes that gap with a structured, industry-recognized credential built around what supervisors in construction, manufacturing and energy actually need,” said Kenna Vowell, CPCS assistant professor and STEP principal investigator. “Over four years, we expect more than 240 Mississippi workers to hold this credential. That is a workforce shift you can measure.”
STEP’s 170-hour curriculum integrates OSHA 30 safety certification, MindEdge project management training, and employer-designed capstone projects, with academic advising and wraparound student support. The credential is Workforce Pell Grant-eligible and stacks into bachelor’s degree pathways at MSU.
More than 240 workers are expected to complete the program over the life of the grant, with a goal of 60% advancing to supervisory roles within six months of completion. Industry partners Ergon Inc., Atmos Energy, and Viking Range are among the companies committing employees to STEP’s first cohort.
“Earning the only FIPSE award in Mississippi from a nationally competitive field speaks to what CPCS is building and the caliber of MSU faculty leading that work,” said Sean Owen, CPCS associate dean of research and academics. “Dr. Vowell designed something the industry actually asked for, and three major Mississippi employers committed to it before the program even launched. We are in the early stages of this college’s story, and this is the kind of result we intend to keep producing.”
Launched in 2023, MSU’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies advances research in organizational leadership and workforce development while preparing professionals through rigorous degree programs, credentials and industry partnerships across the region. Visit www.cpcs.msstate.edu for more information. For more on the STEP program, email Vowell at kenna.vowell@msstate.edu.
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